Foundation Of The Metaphysics Of The Customs Of Immanuel Kant

Foundation of the metaphysics of the customs of Immanuel Kant

In this essay the text “Foundation for a metaphysics of the customs” of Immanuel Kant will be addressed and the questions will be answered why for Kant happiness cannot be the foundation of morality? And why is the duty, however, be the appropriate foundation? Evaluating the difference between "categorical hypothetical and imperative imperatives". From the ideas raised above, it can be affirmed that duty leads to our actions to have moral value.

First, we are beings who have reason. When our will is oriented by reason, according to Kant, it is because our will is acting from duty. It turns out to be the appropriate basis, since, if a person exercises actions from duty, these actions will have moral value, emphasizing that the duty is necessarily motorized as a result of respecting the law and thanks to this the "categorical imperative" is born (moral imperative) that represents an action by itself, an action that is objectively good.

According to Kant in the text "Foundation for a metaphysics of customs":

“The need for my action thanks to pure respect towards the practical law is what forges duty, and any other reason must fold to it, since it implies the condition of a good will itself, whose value is aboveall". (Kant, 96)

Second, happiness cannot be the moral foundation, since it is something empirical, bone that each individual can understand happiness in their own way, so it would be summed up to "hypothetical imperatives", since as we all want to be happy,The search for happiness cannot be considered a duty.

Morality aims to be something global, universal, necessary through "categorical imperatives" that will aim to try to organize life, on the other hand, happiness is noted to be something empirical through "hypothetical imperatives" and that is why it is whyIt turns out to be the appropriate foundation.

According to Kant in the text "Foundation for a metaphysics of customs":

"Since that pure representation of duty, despises these empirical mobiles by becoming aware of their dignity and can learn to dominate them little by little"

“For the pure representation of duty, and in general of the moral law, without a mixture of foreign additions provided by empirical stories, it exerts on the human heart, through the lonely path of reason (which does not account that it can also bepractice by itself) ”(Kant, 108)

While happiness is empirical, since each individual can understand it in their own way. What happens when an individual is empathetic, attentive who cares about others and helps people who need it? It can be said that this individual thanks to the actions he performs increased his happiness and consequently benefit the other, which will lead to these acts committed by the individual being good and end up being Morales.

However, Kant answers this question in a simple way, the desirable qualities and the good consequences left by these qualities mobilized by the actions of an individual, do not define the moral acts of a person. The acts of an individual with desirable qualities do not have moral value if they hide personal and selfish interests such as seeking their own satisfaction or happiness. The moral value of an action according to Kant, is only in the purpose or intention that causes the act, since we must act for duty and not act to receive something in return. Kant defends that humans are experts in deceiving themselves when it comes to thinking about the acts they commit and consequently they are likely to believe they are acting from the duty themselves, but they are acting by conformity, motivated by their own satisfaction.

In summary, it can be concluded that happiness cannot be the foundation of adequate morals because it is empirical, material instead acting from duty is the best foundation of morals, since it is something universal and necessary for life. As a personal opinion, I agree that acting from duty is what every individual should do and not expect anything in return, I think it is the only way to obtain a moral and good society, as the phrase says “I know the change you want to see inthe world".