What is the meaning of Kant's Catigorical Imperative - detailed answers please?

Question

I'm studying Kant's Moral Philosophy. Rather a commentary on it. I'm looking for another opinion on it - in layman terms.

Answer 1

Hi Sarah,

It's hard to use layman's terms when discussing Kant; but I'll try.

Kant believed in a "deontological" view of morality. In layman's terms this means that HOW we do is more important than WHAT we achieve. In other words, Kant believed that it was morally wrong to lie. And that, for him, was absolute. So, if someone asked where your friend was, Kant would say you are morally obligated to tell the truth, even if you knew this person intended to kill your friend.

The heart of his moral philosophy was the Categorical Imperitive, which is a means of determining the truth. We should always...

"Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it would become a universal law."

what this means is, to determine the morality of a proposition, ask yourself, "What would the world be like if everyone behaved thus?" If you like the answer to that -- well, then it's probably a Catagorical Imperative. And if not, then it isn't.

For Kant, the "CI" is non-negotiable, absolute, and always binding. Because of the inflexible nature of the CI, most people nowadays dismiss it.

I for one also dismiss it. If you knew the secret of how to build an atomic bomb, and Adolph Hitler asked if you could build one, would you tell him the truth, and therefore place into the hands of an evil man the ultimate power? I for one would not. Sometimes deception is a virtue. The problem with Kant is that his views are simplistic, and do not take into account the many and multiple "gray areas" of life. I'm sorry, but life is too subtle and nuanced for non-negotiable absolutes.

Hope this answer helps. Cheers.

Answer 2

Categorical Imperative Definition

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What is the meaning of Kant's Catigorical Imperative - detailed answers please?
I'm studying Kant's Moral Philosophy. Rather a commentary on it. I'm looking for another opinion on it - in layman terms.

Answer 4

What Is The Meaning Of Imperative

Answer 5

It is a test for someones intentions to determine if they are moral. If the intentions are able to be universal intentions, then it is a moral "maxim".

It is Categorical, because it must be universal
It is an Imperative because it is necessary

The meaning, or the point, is that morality can neither be subjective nor contradicting in any way according to kant, and thus each maxim must be applied to the categorical imperative.

Answer 6

What is moral should be followed under whatever circumstances.

Say if a man walks into a bar and he asks you where somebody named "Chris" is and tells you that he wants to kill him. You know that chris is in a room upstairs, but since Chris is your friend you lie and told him that Chris is out back and about to leave. Unbeknown to you, Chris heard the ruckus upstairs decided to jump out a window out back and tried to make a run for it. The man, because of your directions, was able to find him and kill him. Whose fault was it? Yours of course because you are not supposed to lie!

Sorry I can't give a more detailed answer. Not a fan of Kant's ethics. It seems to me that for Kant, Man is made to serve the law, not the other way around.

Answer 7

Put simply it means you do the right thing because it is right in principle without reference to your particular circumstances. It is the polar opposite of the phrase "The ends justifies the means".

Answer 8

www.wikipedia.com has a lot on that topic, i remember using it for an ethics essay test i had to take last semester

Answer 9

search it related library or website