Inseparability of Ethics and Metaphysics - Essay Example

Humans are only capable of observing the work of the body which is figured to be a response preceded by the mind’s act of conceiving. However, the exact grounds that justify the connection between the mind and the body along with the energy associated by which the mental impact upon such physical entity, lies beyond the prevailing reach of human knowledge.

Despite this such problem with causation that has hardly found resolution in his philosophy, Hume recognizes that the ultimate basis of all value is desire and emotion while the presence of rational judgment only assumes the role of determining what makes a person satisfy basic desires toward happiness. On the contrary, the ethics proposed by Kant perceives goodwill as the sole absolute good wherein moral act does not constitute the will to gratify self-interests and that one’s actions can only be considered to possess moral worth if it is done out of duty. Kant further supposes that purity of thoughts is a basis of moral obligation which is generally attached to a universal principle every human deed ought to abide by to be labeled moral. Through his metaphysical critique of pure reason, nevertheless, Kant admits that the highest sensibility to knowledge is yet unreachable for even as the mind is susceptible to dynamism, its capacity for operating within confines of reason and morality is limited by the empirical realm of space and time.

While Plato, on the other hand, metaphysically holds the theory of ‘dualism’ in consideration of reality on different levels being composed of ‘forms’ and ‘physical world’ where the latter contains images that are less real than physical objects, he establishes an amply similar argument with Kant’s ethical position. Based on virtue, Plato presents ‘well-being’ as the ultimate end of human’s rational thinking and conduct with which applied virtues form the character traits and pertinent skills that complete an individual.

Being a student of Plato, Aristotle establishes an equivalent concern with the essence of well-being in agreement to the principle that life must be well-lived and in doing so,  there ought to be harmony and appreciation of values found in good pleasures, healthy relationships, honor, virtue, and wealth altogether. On demonstrating the inseparability of this concept to his proposition for metaphysics, he promotes the significance of ‘the study of being qua being’ or ‘wisdom’. Since he places great magnitude on virtue as Plato does with his subject, it is no wonder that he makes theology central to the study of causality which according to him spontaneously operates the universe with circumstances from which to derive probably the highest state of happiness achievable when one chooses to dwell in the full measure of discerning it. Read More