Topic > The philosophy of Immanuel Kant: idea of ​​ethics and definition of "good will"

IndexIntroductionImmanuel KantGood willWhat is good will?Will and willGood will and reasonGood will is good without limitationsConclusionReference listIntroductionImmanuel Kant, one of the most active philosophers in the history of Western philosophy, in his famous work Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals discusses the idea of ​​ethics and how it can be realized despite its necessity. In this article, I want to introduce Kant's general definition of moral action and, then, in this light, I want to define "good will" and present what he really meant by it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayImmanuel KantImmanuel Kant was born in 1724 in the small town of Konigsberg in Germany, where he lived until his death in 1804. His parents were moderately wealthy. They belonged to a religious group known as Pietists, whose sect had a strong influence on Kant's life and his future thought and personality. Kant began his studies at the local Collegium Fredericianum, also directed by a pietist. In 1740 he enrolled at the University of Königsberg, where he studied classics, physics and philosophy. Goodwill What is goodwill? While we do not expect (and should not expect) to find in Kant's writings a clear account of what good will is, we must try to construct such an account if the truth is worth understanding and evaluating. For Kant, “It is not possible to conceive of anything in the world, or even outside of it, that can be called good, without reservation, except a good will.” Of course, other things such as moderation of possessions can be considered good. “Yet they can hardly be called universally good... because without the principles of good they could become truly evil. A villain's cold blood not only makes him more dangerous, but it also makes him seem more despicable in our eyes than he would have seemed without it. Kant's main point here is that the essence of the morally good act is the principle that a person affirms when he wills an act. "Good will is good not for what it accomplishes, not for its usefulness in achieving a predetermined purpose, but only for the will, that is, it is good in itself." doing what one has to do, which is distinguished from what is done out of inclination or personal interest. Acting out of inclination or self-interest seems to be on a different level of morality than acting out of duty to the moral law. Now, morally speaking, it is not enough that the effects or consequences of our behavior conform to the moral law; the truly moral act is performed in view of the moral law "since all these effects - even the promotion of the happiness of others - could also have been produced by other causes, so that for this there would be no need for the will to be rational..." Moral duty resides in the will, and good will is that which acts from a sense of duty, and, “an action performed out of duty must completely exclude the influence of inclination, and with it every object of inclination”. will, so that there is nothing left that can determine the will except objectively the law and subjectively pure respect for this practical law...". it comes to us as an imperative. Not all imperatives are tied to morality, because not all imperatives have the signs of necessity and universality that a moral rule requires. A technical imperative, such as "if you want to build a bridge over the river you must use materials of a certain resistance", does not say that we absolutely must build the bridge. You can build a tunnel or use a surface aircraft toreach the other side. Again, there are some prudential imperatives, according to which if I am to be popular with certain people, then I must say or do certain things. But again, it is absolutely not necessary for me to achieve this popularity. Technical and prudential imperatives are therefore hypothetical imperatives because they only command us if we decide to enter their sphere or operation. Will and Willingness The first thing we need to do in the attempt is to address what Kant means by the term “will.” There is a strong possibility of understanding statements about a particular type of person. So it seems innocent enough to recognize good will in light of the good qualities of that “person.” (For example, with the moral virtues of the good person). “The claim that good will is the only unlimited good is therefore naturally interpreted as a praise of a certain kind of moral character or the affirmation of a certain kind of moral ideal – of the absolutely best kind of person we think there could be ”. No doubt Kant's statement about “the good will has some implications for these questions, but this line of thinking can lead to crucial errors if we are not careful to separate the notion of a good will from that of a person having one.” Let's see what Kant means by good will, I think we will see that a person who is basically bad can (sometimes) show good will, and a person who is generally good can sometimes show bad will. We will also see in due course that good will is not the same as moral virtue. We will see that Kant explicitly says that a person can have a good will but be devoid of virtue. The will, says Kant, is a practical way of acting based on legal concepts. When we take action or accomplish what we set out to do, our actions are often beyond our control, so the morality of our actions does not depend on their outcome. What we can control, however, is the desire behind the action. That is, we can operate according to one law rather than another. Practical moral behavior, therefore, must be evaluated for the purpose behind it. If two people, Smith and Jones, perform the same action, from the same standpoint of the law, but events beyond Smith's control prevent them from achieving their goals, Smith receives far less than the praise he deserves. We must regard them morally as their will after their actions. Good will, according to Kant, is the only thing absolutely necessary for a person to have a good desire to take moral action. Kant believes that we value unrestricted good will. This means that there are no circumstances in which we must convey our moral beliefs to find something desirable. Instead, virtues such as strength or courage can be downplayed or given away in certain circumstances. For example, we do not want to use our power to benefit those who are not good enough for the weak, and it may not be right to use our courage in action. Kant establishes a connection between good will and conditional happiness. Explain that our performance is only good if goodwill depends on it. That is, without good will, all our actions will harm others. Good also helps us achieve moral satisfaction. Kant says that good will “will shine like a jewel in itself, like something that has all its value in itself.” This means that good will is good in itself and needs no excuse to justify its moral value. Even if our actions do not achieve the desired goals, as long as we desire good intentions and have good will, our actions represent the right attitude toaccomplish. Good Will and ReasonAfter explaining the meaning of good will, Kant explains the importance and practicality of relating reason to our will. He then says that it is useless to provide a reason for action that governs prosperity and happiness. The effect of trust in the reason of one's thoughts is eliminated if we want to abandon action by instinct. In other words, if we show why actions are often chosen by the individual, then we do not fully apply the function of the intellect. Furthermore, we target a certain aspect of our actions without reason. Kant distinguishes acts motivated by inclination from those performed on a voluntary basis.principle. For example, someone might ask me why I did a certain thing, and point out that it didn't bring me any money, or perhaps even made life a little less pleasant; to which I might reply, "I know I have no advantage by this action, but I do it on the principle of the thing." For Kant this type of state of mind is the essence of moral conscience. When I act on principle, the only factor that determines my motivation is that this particular action exemplifies a particular case that falls within the general law or “maxim.” For Kant, the mental process by which the actor understands that a particular case falls within a certain principle is an exercise in "reasoning", or to be more precise, what Kant called "practical reason", reason used as a guide to action. (“Pure reason” is the reason used to achieve certainty, or what Kant called “scientific knowledge.”) Since to have moral value an action must be performed according to a principle, and to verify that a certain principle applies to a particular action is necessary that exercise of reason, it can be said that only rational beings behave morally. According to Kant, the more reason is used for the need to achieve happiness and joy, the more likely it is to be truly successful. People who use reason to guide themselves, without harming their own desires, consequences, or inclinations, are in the process of creating good will. If our inspections are governed by a good reason, then we can be sure of achieving the purpose behind the inspection. That is, if we base our decisions on reason and reason alone, then we must act according to good will. The intellectual use of reason is necessary to achieve our goal unconditionally and also prevents us from producing moral desires and partial choices. Kant says that this reason limits the achievement of happiness; which is always a requirement and often leads to decreased satisfaction. Goodwill is good without limitations. Kant begins the first section of the Foundations with a statement that is one of the most memorable of all his writings: “There is nothing that is possible to think of anywhere in the world, or indeed of anything outside of it, that can be considered good without limitations, except only good will." Goodness is limited depending on external circumstances. For example, the drug is good, although it is not recommended to take an excessive dose of it, taking into account the age, weight or condition of the patient. Wealth and power are good, but not for those who use them or for the sake of themselves. It is good and not limited, therefore, if it is good regardless of external circumstances. It is good without changing if it is good and not in bad condition. In the concept of good will, Kant explicitly emphasizes the concept of "advancement" and extends the ideas that he considers associated with the good will to action, coming from duty. “But he never gives an explicit account of what he believes to be 'good will'.” In the main phase of the second part of, 10,2019.