The categorical imperative and duty to Kant and comparing his ideas to Essay

The categorical imperative and duty to Kant and comparing his ideas to the golden rule of jesus - Essay Example As mentioned in the question to this essay itself, the maxim in question of the imperative runs as follows: act only according to that maxim which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law. First, some of the first aspects to note with regard to the imperative, are that it is something which is obeyed as a duty by what he considers to be a morally good individual. Secondly, it is a moral obligation, and finally, and as a preliminary note which will be expanded upon, this is a notion which facilitates any morally 'good' action. Thus, the first section of the Groundwork concerns the general notion of obedience as it is connected with the categorical imperative, and the second section reviews in more detail the doctrines about the categorical imperative, and considers those aspects which might be taken as a criticism or potential criticism of the doctrine itself. From the general, to the more specific, an important dimension of the whole aspect of the imperativ e is the notion of universalibility, and this is related to the aspect of 'willing' something which can or could be equally willed by any other person In the Groundwork, Kant argues that a 'good' man is going to use the criterion of 'universality' for all of his actions, as a maxim which works as a standard to judge good from bad actions, or ethical from unethical decisions. This implies that the means for this obedience or duty to the categorical imperative also involves a certain sense of 'autonomy' for the individual. He maintains that the â€Å"categorical imperative† a â€Å"maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law . . . the universality of law according to which effects are produced constitutes what is properly called nature in the most general sense (as to form), i.e., the existence of things as far determined by universal laws.† [Pojman, Ed., 1998: 302]. Accordingly, the â€Å"universal imperative of duty may† is â€Å"the maxim of your action were to become through your will a universal law of nature. [Pojman, Ed., 1998: 302] Having stated the law in question (the categorical imperative), Kant proceeds to both demonstrate this through an example, which is an example that also serves for purposes of proving this as universally valid as a criterion for moral action. Thus, with regard to the aforementioned notion of 'autonomy', or the moral choice of the individual, Kant establishes what might be called a property of ethical legislation which qualifies as a command. In the second section of the Groundwork, which is a section under the subtitle or subheading of the 'doctrine of virtue', Kant asserts the following with respect to this important 'property' or salient aspect, and which qualifies as both an example and a demonstration or proof the categorical imperative: "Another man in need finds himself forced to borrow money . . . the maxim of his action would then be expressed as follows: when I believe myself to be in need of money, I will borrow money and promise to pay it back, although I know that I can never do so." [Pojman, Ed., 1998: 302] In this example, Kant argues that although it is possible for myself, or anyone else to adopt this maxim, that is, as an application or concrete example of the categorical