The Fundamental Principle of Morality According to Kant

According to Kant, the fundamental principle of morality must be a categorical, rather than a hypothetical imperative, because an imperative based on reason alone is one that is a necessary truth, is a priori, and is one that applies to us because we are rational beings capable of fulfilling our moral obligations. Kant explains this essential truth is how an action as objectively necessary in itself apart from its relation to a further end. This refers to how if the supreme principle of morality was only a possible truth, then its force as a principle would be dependent on what may happen in other propositions. So being, the SPM would not be guiding the choice and action of a morally good will. This means that because morality holds†¦show more content†¦This suggests that we cant interpret the conditional at face value, instead, we ought to recognize how they highlight a means-end relationship. Also, one could interpret the should of the hypothetical imperative as the antece dent of the hypothetical imperative as itself inherently normative; something like: if you rightly want to torture children, you should volunteer as a babysitter. Either way, hypothetical imperatives dont necessarily have normative force even when the agent possesses the desire in question. How they are best understood as depending, not merely on your having specific desires, but rather on those desires having normative authority. Reexamined then, hypothetical imperatives might follow as: if you desire X then you should Y really means something like, supposing that X is a worthy goal, you should Y. This still is a conditional rule, however. This is why Kant would insist that these imperatives cannot be moral imperatives because they do not apply with unconditional necessity to all rationalShow MoreRelatedBook Report on Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals by Kant599 Words   |  3 PagesBook Report on Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals by Kant Kant states (38,) act as if the maxim of thy action were to become by thy will a universal law of nature. This categorical imperative forms the basis of his book, Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals. Though at times his writing is confusing Kant lays out his logic as to what a categorical imperative is. Kant divides the book into three sections. 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