Kants Example of the Promise - Essay Example

?How might Kant’s example of the ‘promise’ be useful in contemporary society? Explain both his theory and how it could be applied to a modern day event. Introduction In the case of signing a promissory note especially among business persons, there is a depiction of what it means to act out of inclination and out of duty. To act out of inclination, according to Kant is not living at the core foundation of the good will, but on the contrary he believed that this could only be made possible if we fully act out of duty (Garrett, 2006). Therefore, to sign a promissory note just to gain financial gain and without any intention of paying the incurred debt is a form of acting out of inclination, creating a “false promise,” leading us to live way beyond the moral law. Using the rule of categorical imperative Kant suggested we therefore dare to give our promise, because there is still value in it, as tantamount to how we think and make our choice. We make promises because we think we have to fulfill them. We therefore have the positive choice to accomplish what we need to accomplish based on what we have promised. This is a remarkable indication of a good will if we want to come to consider the whole idea of Kant concerning the ethics associated with duty. For Kant, in understanding the moral requirements, it is important that we act not out of inclination, but out of duty because doing so the latter is inherent of a good will. The work at hand considers some thoughts how might Kant’s example of the ‘promise’ be useful in contemporary society together with the theory linked to this and how this might have meaningful application in modern day event. Moral Law A false promise therefore according to Kant is a contradiction to the moral law, but what makes it a significant conflict is not the associated consequence, but the way on how people think and make choices (Kerstein, 2004, p.168; Jecker, 2011, p.151). Kant believed that there is moral law that governs standard of rationality leading us to the implementation of moral requirements. In line with this moral law, irrational acts are therefore leading mankind to immorality. I agree with the idea of Kant and in the same way as how Locke and Hobbes, the other philosophers argued that the standard of rationality paves the way for moral requirements (De La Sierra, 2012, p.270; Morris, 1999, p.185; Paul et al., 2008, p.223). Understanding the idea of Kant leads me to the thought that he has a good point why he argued that we should not look at the consequence of an action, but rather on the actual intention prior to doing it. Suppose a business man owed a debt to a business partner and signed a promissory note to pay the actual cash incurred at a specified time and amount. This business man has a principle that he could just get around his obligation by adhering to a ‘false promise’ and continue to generate financial gain out of it. The key idea in this given example concerns whether the business man who is indebted to pay is living under the principle of moral law. Certainly, the man’s false promise is out of inclination and not out of duty. If all would make a false promise to make advantage of it, there would certainly come a time that everyone would not take promise seriously. In other words, the business man’s ultimate principle is a contradiction itself, because he could never gain from it, as the ultimate point of his inclination in the first place. In this case, if we based it on the idea of Kant, it is not the consequence that would tell us about a morally important thing, but the business person’s way of thinking, something invisible, but essential in understanding the moral law. Garrett (2006) showed that the ‘categorical imperative,’ just as how Kant explained would make it possible for us to understand the moral law. Duty of Ethics We can only generate general or substantial understanding of Kant’s example of promise if we come to consider his theory of the Duty of Ethics. As already stated, we need to understand what moral law is all about in the first place. Kant would want to emphasise that it is a useful question for us to answer if either we act out of inclination or out of duty otherwise. Kant believed that what makes a will good is when it is acted out of duty, not out of inclination (Garrett, 2006; Bird, 2009, p.323). As rational beings, humans are always enticed to act on something that would make them feel good or would lead them to obtain more from it (Jecker, 2011). However, I believe and in the same way as how Kant further argued that there is more than good to this, and that is to act from respect to moral law. In order for us to know how to do this, it makes sense that we must first understand what a moral law is. Garrett explained that we need to use the “categorical imperative,” a rule for testing rules, which would allow us to perform tests, for us to know the moral law. In this rule, one has to consider the principle on which he is acting, followed by generalising that principle and performing of necessary tests. Doing this would make it clear for us that we act only according to the moral law if we act out of duty by living under good morally sound intentions or motives. I am personally convinced that if everyone would live with good motives for others, we will end up living in a society with less conflict of intentions. As I understood, this is the basic point of Kant, why he would want us to live out of duty, because in the end, this would always bring good result for everyone. In the same way, if people would live with their promises as an act of duty rather than inclination, the value of a given promise is credible and reliable enough for a shot of trust. Application The society will benefit from the idea of Kant concerning his example of the promise and the associated theories of moral law and ethics of duty, by being able to remind everyone that what is more fundamental of a good will is one’s thought, rather than the actual consequences of actions that at some point may only trigger other relevant issues for another consideration. It is therefore clear that understanding Kant’s example of ‘promise’ directs us to consider the idea of a good will, which according to him is our fundamental source of power of rational moral choice. This idea is so strong that there is a significant reason to believe, based on the illustrated example above that it helps build the establishment of moral law. Understanding the moral law would urge us to comprehend the difference between human inclination of the mind and the moral duty. However, it is clear from the idea of Kant that the fundamental idea of moral choices starts in the mind leading to a personal choice of living a certain principle or choice and how the majority would respond to such choice. However, there is a significant drawback in this idea because in reality, people would be directed to what is only visible, and not the invisible, allowing them to understand and make rational choices based on what is happening around. Therefore, the idea that what is morally important thing is the way choosers think when faced with choices and not the consequences is a bit problematic to consider at some point. This is due to the fact that there are people who considered their choices rational if they are satisfied with the results even if their choices are out of inclination and way beyond duty. If supposed everybody is doing and find considerable value in it, then Kant’s idea of ethics of duty could become subjective at some certain level. On the contrary, Kant’s example of the promise provides an explanation to the society on how we most probably have created a value for our promise based on our personal intent, choice and moral duty with respect to the moral law. Conclusion The work at hand just featured considerable ideas regarding the thought of Kant of the moral law and duty of ethics citing his example of the promise. In particular, the discourse presents how useful this example in contemporary society and its underlying theories considering its potential application. This view is vital to know the ultimate sources of power of rational moral choice. Not only that. Kant’s example of the promise provides the opportunity for everyone to consider some other important aspects in dealing with personal moral choices in contemporary time. Kant’s ideas of moral law and ethics of duty which are employed in his example of ‘promise’ is an added guidance for the humanity in order to establish the fundamental principle of what are supposed to be moral actions that are worthy of everyone’s affection and great consideration. Cited Sources: Bird, G. (2009) A Companion to Kant. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons. De La Sierra, A. O. (2012) Treatise on the Neurophilosophy of Consciousness: A Multidisciplinary Biopsychosocial (Bps) Model. Bloomington, IN: Trafford Publishing. Garrett, J. (2006) Kant’s Duty Ethics. Retrieved from: http://people.wku.edu/jan.garrett/ethics/kant.htm [Accessed: 26 May 2013]. Jecker, N. (2011) Bioethics. 3rd ed. London: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Kerstein, S. J. (2004) Kant’s Search for the Supreme Principle of Morality. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Morris, C. (1999) The social contract theories: critical essays on Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield. Paul, E. F., Miller, F. D., and Paul, J. (2008) Objectivism, Subjectivism, and Relativism in Ethics. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Read More