Kant and Moral Values Essay - 4760 Words

Kant says that moral values are ‘good without qualification.’ This assertion and similar remarks of Plato can be understood in terms of a return to moral data themselves in the following ways: 1. Moral values are objectively good and not relative to our judgments; 2. Moral goodness is intrinsic goodness grounded in the nature of acts and independent of our subjective satisfaction; 3. Moral goodness expresses in an essentially new and higher sense of the idea of value as such; 4. Moral Goodness cannot be abused like intellectual, aesthetic, temperamental and other values; 5. Moral values are good in that they never must be sacrificed for any other value, because they are incomparably higher and should absolutely and ‘first’ be sought for;†¦show more content†¦Intelligence, wit, ..., and any other talents of the mind . . . or courage . . . and constancy of purpose, as qualities of temperament are without doubt good and desirable in many respects; but they can also be extremely bad and hurtful when the will is not good which has to make use of these gifts of nature . . . Power, wealth, honour, even health and that complete well-being and contentment with one’s state which goes by the name of ‘happiness’, produce . . . often over-boldness . . . , unless a good will is present. . . . Moderation in affections and passions, self-control and sober reflection . . . may even seem to constitute part of the inner worth of a person. Yet they are far from being properly described as good without qualification (however unconditionally they have been commended by the ancients). For without the principles of a good will they may become exceedingly bad; and the very coolness of a scoundrel makes him, not merely more dangerous, but also immediately more abominable in our eyes than we should have taken him without it. (2) Kant describes – with some explanationsShow MoreRelatedGrounding For The Metaphysics Of Morals And On Groveling By Immanuel Kant891 Words   |  4 PagesImmanuel Kant discusses the second and third translation pieces in â€Å"Key Selections.† In Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals and On Groveling, Kant explains that humans have an animal-like nature. If Kant was charged with the statement, â€Å"Bottom line, humans are nothing more than insignificant creatures with an animal nature,† he would have a mixed response to the charge. 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Immanuel Kant believed that to live a good life is to lead a life of happiness. This is not saying that people should only live a life that brings them pleasure and satisfaction, as is often argued in Utilitarianism. Rather it is saying that to live a moral life is to live in a state of peace. For Kant, the Summum Bonum (highest good) describes the ideal, where there is both virtue and happiness. In The Fundamental Principles Kant speaks of a very comprehensive moral argument. This isRead MoreA Lie Is Not Moral Or Ethical Value1004 Words   |  5 Pagesnever okay to lie to someone. Lying is disrespectful. I believe, the purpose to a lie is achieving a goal at the expense of another. It holds no moral or ethical value. Human beings are entitled to be respect by others. A philosopher known as Immanuel Kant who established two rules called as categorical imperative under the deontology theory (Kant, 2008). Deontology is the obligation or duty to act (Mosser, 2013). 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