...June 2011 Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant was born in 1724 in the capital of Prussia what is now Kaliningrad a city in Russia. As a young scholar, Kant was sent to Collegium Fredericianum before attending the University of Konigsberg by the age of 16. In 1749 Kant had his first philosophical work published, Thoughts on the True Estimation of Living Forces. In it “he argues against the vix mortix view supported by Wolff and other post-Leibnizian German rationalists that proposed that bodies have no essential force, and claimed that, instead, the existence of an essential force can be proven by metaphysical arguments”(“Thoughts on the True Estimation”). In 1755 he became a lecturer at the University teaching on the topic of Metaphysics after winning the Berlin Academy Prize for his discovery of the retardation of the earth’s rotation in 1754. Kant eventually went on to turn his attention to philosophical issues writing a number of works throughout the 1760’s including: “The False Subtlety of the Four Syllogistic Figures, a work in logic, Attempt to Introduce the Concept of Negative Magnitudes into Philosophy, and The Only Possible Argument in Support of a Demonstration of the Existence of God, Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime and then was second to Moses Mendelssohn in a Berlin Academy prize competition with his Inquiry Concerning the Distinctness of the Principles of Natural Theology and Morality” (“Immanuel Kant.” Wikipedia). In 1781 Kant put out the...
Words: 675 - Pages: 3
...IMMANUEL KANT - BIOGRAPHY Dropbox Assignment #3 By Michael Johnson Darryl Sanborn Business Ethics (MGMT 368) 04/12/06 Michael Johnson Darryl Sanborn Business Ethics (MGMT 368) 04/12/06 IMMANUEL KANT - BIOGRAPHY Immanuel Kant was born in Königsberg, East Prussia in 1724. He attended the Collegium Fridiricianum when he was eight years old. He studied there for eight years. He then went into the University Of Königsberg, where he spent his academic career focusing on philosophy, mathematics and physics. When his father passed away it affected him strongly and he left the university. He earned his living as a private tutor. In 1755 he accepted the help of a friend and resumed his studies at the university. He received his doctorate in 1756. He taught at the university for 15 years, in the beginning his lectures were in the sciences and mathematics arenas. He would eventually also lecture most branches of philosophy. Even though he had a growing reputation as an original thinker, he did not gain tenure at the university until 1770. That is when he received his professorship of logic and metaphysics. [1] He continued writing and lecturing at Königsberg for 27 years. He attracted many students there due to his rationalist and hence, unconventional approach to religious texts. This led to political pressure from the government of Prussia, and in 1792, he was barred from teaching or writing on religious subjects by the King of Prussia, Fredrich William...
Words: 855 - Pages: 4
...thing'. Duty-based ethics teaches that some acts are right or wrong because of the sorts of things they are, and people have a duty to act accordingly, regardless of the good or bad consequences that may be produced. Some kinds of action are wrong or right in themselves, regardless of the consequences. Deontologists live in a universe of moral rules, such as: It is wrong to kill innocent people It is wrong to steal It is wrong to tell lies It is right to keep promises Someone who follows Duty-based ethics should do the right thing, even if that produces more harm (or less good) than doing the wrong thing: People have a duty to do the right thing, even if it produces a bad result. So, for example, the philosopher Kant thought that it would be wrong to tell a lie in order to save a friend from a murderer. If we compare Deontologists with Consequentialists we can see that Consequentialists begin by considering what things are good, and identify 'right' actions as the ones that produce the maximum of those good things. Deontologists appear to do it the other way around; they first consider what actions are 'right' and proceed from there. (Actually this is what they do in practice, but it isn't really the starting point of deontological thinking.) So a person is doing something good if they are doing a morally right action. Top Good and bad points Good points of duty-based ethics emphasises the value of every human being Duty-based ethical...
Words: 5289 - Pages: 22
...Social Responsibility Classical Theories of Morality Walden University Nicomachean Ethics viewpoint by Aristotle, the Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant and the Utilitarianism Theory of morality view by John Stuart Mill are the three classical theories of morality. An individual’s acts did not define who they were morally, but the person’s life as a whole did according to Aristotle. Meaning, the things a person did over their lifetime would determine if they had morals or not. This was known as the Nicomachean Ethics viewpoint. In today’s society, this could relate to someone who was an overall moral citizen, but one day that changed for them and they did something horribly wrong. For example, a husband or a wife killing their spouse and the spouses lover because they were found cheating. Aristotle believed the action that was an abnormality should not be considered when considering whether the person was good or bad, but that their good works over their lifetime should be considered. Aristotle believed there were three types of life: one devoted to sensual pleasures, one seeking out political interests and the other being a life of thoughts (Arthur, J. and Scalet, S., 2014). With very different beliefs Immanuel Kant believed that if an action is wrong it will forever be wrong, and there is no justification for those specific actions. However, he does make note that most decisions are based on a sense of duty and people’s rights, and felt that those decisions...
Words: 691 - Pages: 3
...Autonomy provides self-identification and placement in a person culture. Immanuel Kant believes that autonomy plays a big role in making ethical decisions. I believe that is correct and this is because morals vary from culture to culture and universalizability does not exist. Morals are supposed to bring good but there are circumstances where a moral action might bring damage. Due to this premise I feel as though it is not always right to do the duty that is expected. I also believe that if a duty is imposed on us, the fulfillment of that duty will not make us any more ethical. To explain my universalizability statement, Immanuel Kant believes that acting immorally is unreasonable because it is inconsistently unfair and unjust towards whomever it may have a negative impact on, even though that person may not know. According to Kant, an action is morally right if its maxim is universalizable. In which a maxim is a “principle of action you give yourself when you are about to do something” (162), and universalizable means that your acts of your maxim would be supported by everyone. According to Russ Shafer-Landau in The Fundamentals of Ethics, Kant believes that, “the morality of our actions has nothing to do with results. It has everything to do with our intentions and reasons for action, those are contained in the principle we live by” (163). Morality relies on people acting out with a good intention, but the action has to be universalizable, and if it is not, we are being inconsistent...
Words: 963 - Pages: 4
...Scottish skeptic David Hume and German critic Immanuel Kant were both philosophers that attempted to address similar concepts of reason and human nature, albeit in very different ways. Both men, alive and practicing during the 1700s, had a lasting impact on the philosophical community. The two men not only differed personally, but philosophically, addressing issues at very different standpoints. Immanuel Kant, born in Prussia, was raised by a conservative family and quickly earned a PhD from his local university in Konigsberg. As a private, unmarried teacher, he mainly studied the sciences and is credited with devising the first working Big Bang Theory. Unlike other thinkers of his time, Kant was not skeptical or negative about humankind. Rather, he believed that all moral reasoning was based on rational thought. A rational man would make moral choices; an irrational man would not. This provides every man with an equal opportunity to use reason as moral guidance. Kant was also much more concerned with scientific reasoning and explanations. David Hume was far different from Kant in almost every way. Unlike Kant, Hume did not achieve a degree; he abandoned a course in law to pursue his philosophical calling. He was an overall skeptic, hesitant to approach huge, overarching ideals and more focused on the effect of memories and emotions. Unlike Kant, he did not believe in reason being rational; rather he believed that humans, though possessing free will, are at the mercy of...
Words: 426 - Pages: 2
...Immanuel Kant A Famous Philosopher 10/21/2012 Kelley Huttar Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804): Immanuel Kant was a modern day German deontologist from Prussia and became one of history’s most famous Philosophers. A deontologist is someone who believes in acts that are strictly right or wrong. Kant was an influential thinker and one of the last philosophers of the Enlightenment era. However his work in epistemology (the study of knowledge) and theology (the study of religion) are still influential to current philosophers of our time. He was also known for his beliefs in ethics and his knowledge in astronomy. Kant was an independent person, meaning he did not let others influence his way of thought. He created his own moral values and acted alone in his findings and did not look for outside criticism. He believed that other people’s emotions and view towards a subject could impact one’s moral values and behavior. He was admired by his friends for this quality, and because of this he became famous for the concept known as the categorical imperative (Evers). Theory Developed and Its Example: Categorical Imperative: Kant developed a theory on morality that is known as the categorical imperative. This theory implies that one should only act on his or her own morals. Kant believed a person has a duty to be moral in every sense as he believed this was a moral requirement. He also believed that an action one takes must be moral enough for the entire universe to agree...
Words: 2227 - Pages: 9
...STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF VARIOUS TYPES OF ESSAYS In this chapter we describe different forms and styles of essay writing. These forms and styles are used by a range of authors, including university students and professional essayists. To characterize the peculiar features of the admission essay we would like to make stylistic analyses of an article. App. 1] The beginning of an essay, paragraph 1, is essential to making a good impression. We have elevated the level of diction here and improved the pacing to construct a more fluid beginning, including this sentence: "The injury itself was tendonitis, an elusive malady, not easy to pin down like a simple broken bone." Also, we have introduced a metaphor that will help the reader understand the seriousness of the injury, characterizing the pain as "a knife in my mind, sinking deeper the more I struggled." This will make it that much more impressive when you overcome the arm injury through sheer perseverance later in the essay. In the paragraph 2, a number of overly short sentences here have been combined into longer, more sophisticated phrasings. One example is: "I thought about how many famous soccer players are equally skilled with both feet, and wondered: could I learn to throw left-handed?" These changes help with both word count and readability issues. We have also eliminated or limited repetition by replacing the overused "frustrated" a variety of more illustrative phrasings. Paragraph...
Words: 2587 - Pages: 11
...GROUNDING FOR THE METAPHYSICAL OF MORAL BY IMMANUEL KANTS A BRIEF HISTORY OF IMMUEL KANT Kant was born in 1727 and he died in 1804 (80 years). He never leaved the city where he was born. People could regulate their wrist watch to Kant. (rising, coffee drinking, writing lecturing, dinning, walking, each of this things has its set time and when Immanuel Kant in his grey coat, came in hand appeared at the door of his house strolled towards the small avenue of Linden trees, which is still called- The Philosophers walk, the neighbor’s knew it was exactly half past three by the clock. He never married. His family belongs to lower middle class and they were very religious. In recognition of his son’s academic ability and because of the family religious persuasion, his father sent him to a local Pietist college to prepare for the ministry. Kant’s inner life was as dramatic as his outer life. He renounced the external and emotional side of religion. In his search for the round of the validity of ethics, Kant’s employed the same method by which he establishes the ground of the certainty of science. According to him, a valid moral principle must be independent of the empirical data of morality, if is to be binding upon all men. In short, a genuine morality requires an a priori foundation (beyond or before practical experience) Kant’s believes that ordinary moral consciousness or conscience reveals to every man that moral precept are universal and necessary. They are valid for all rational...
Words: 344 - Pages: 2
...John Stuart Mill vs. Immanuel Kant The aim of this paper is to clearly depict how John Stuart Mill’s belief to do good for all is more appropriate for our society than Immanuel Kant’s principle that it is better to do what's morally just. I will explain why Mill’s theory served as a better guide to moral behavior and differentiate between the rights and responsibilities of human beings to themselves and society. Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill are philosophers who addressed the issues of morality in terms of how moral customs are formed. Immanuel Kant presented one perspective in The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals that is founded on his belief that the worth of man is inherent in his skill to reason. John Stuart Mill holds another belief as presented in the book, Utilitarianism, which is seemingly conflicting with the thoughts of Kant. What is most unique about the ethics of morality is the idea of responsibilities to particular individuals. According to both Mill and Kant, moral obligations are not fundamentally particularistic because they are rooted in universal moral principles. Both philosophers have made great impacts in their niche areas in the field. An analysis of their theories may help develop a better understanding of them and their theories. Mill holds an empiricist theory while Kant holds a rationalist theory. Kant explains morality through forms that he believes are essential to free and sensible judgment. Mill’s utilitarian approach...
Words: 2175 - Pages: 9
...CJ Business environment has a big impact on people’s lives and not just theirs but their families as well. Nobody really knows what is going on in the other person live, so I believe that we have to have morals and it really don’t matter what you do for a living. The business environment can be so stressful and can cause a lot of damage with immoral acts. The company as a whole has to make sure that everything and everyone are using morals in the environment. In a business environment, why should people be moral individuals? When we are talking about morals I believe that the business in question should be responsible in making sure that the people that they hire have morals and live by them. The business should also put out what morals they have and want to be followed. When the businesses don’t have morals it can cause lot damage to the company and the people that work for them as well. No morals can destroy lives. Let’s, say for example, In today’s time the people really don’t have a choice on if they health insurance or not. The government is making us have it and if you don’t have health insurance then you have to pay a fine. Some people say " If I can’t afford the insurance then I can’t afford the fine, so the hell with it". But what most people don’t realize is when you file income tax you are paying that fine. To this is immoral because everyone can’t afford health insurance and they live pay check to pay check. It is immoral to make someone...
Words: 1464 - Pages: 6
...CJ Business environment has a big impact on people’s lives and not just theirs but their families as well. Nobody really knows what is going on in the other person live, so I believe that we have to have morals and it really don’t matter what you do for a living. The business environment can be so stressful and can cause a lot of damage with immoral acts. The company as a whole has to make sure that everything and everyone are using morals in the environment. In a business environment, why should people be moral individuals? When we are talking about morals I believe that the business in question should be responsible in making sure that the people that they hire have morals and live by them. The business should also put out what morals they have and want to be followed. When the businesses don’t have morals it can cause lot damage to the company and the people that work for them as well. No morals can destroy lives. Let’s, say for example, In today’s time the people really don’t have a choice on if they health insurance or not. The government is making us have it and if you don’t have health insurance then you have to pay a fine. Some people say " If I can’t afford the insurance then I can’t afford the fine, so the hell with it". But what most people don’t realize is when you file income tax you are paying that fine. To this is immoral because everyone can’t afford health insurance and they live pay check to pay check. It is immoral to make someone...
Words: 1464 - Pages: 6
...I Business environment has a big impact on people’s lives and not just theirs but their families as well. Nobody really knows what is going on in the other person live, so I believe that we have to have morals and it really don’t matter what you do for a living. The business environment can be so stressful and can cause a lot of damage with immoral acts. The company as a whole has to make sure that everything and everyone are using morals in the environment. When we are talking about morals I believe that the business in question should be responsible in making sure that the people that they hire have morals and live by them. The business should also put out what morals they have and want to be followed. When the businesses don’t have morals it can cause lot damage to the company and the people that work for them as well. No morals can destroy lives. Let’s, say for example, In today’s time the people really don’t have a choice on if they health insurance or not. The government is making us have it and if you don’t have health insurance then you have to pay a fine. Some people say " If I can’t afford the insurance then I can’t afford the fine, so the hell with it". But what most people don’t realize is when you file income tax you are paying that fine. To this is immoral because everyone can’t afford health insurance and they live pay check to pay check. It is immoral to make someone do something that they can’t or don’t want to do. Now it’s true that...
Words: 1450 - Pages: 6
...Ethics-MGMT-368D Dropbox #3 Kant June 19, 2013 On Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724 near the Baltic Sea in Konigsberg which is now Kaliningrad and a part of Russia. Kant’s father was a harness maker at a time when harness making was in decline and as such his family dealt with financial struggles, but were never destitute. His parents were Pietist, evangelical Lutherans, who “emphasized conversion, reliance on divine grace, the experience of religious emotions and personal devotion involving regular Bible study, prayer and introspection” (Rohlf). Being forced to attend the Collegium Fridericianum, a Pietist school, from eight through fifteen, Kant’s youth was spent in forced devotion to Bible study and soul-searching. He did, however, find Latin classic writing interesting. As Kant matured, his “emphasis on reason and autonomy” overcame his youthful rebellion against Pietism (Rohlf). No matter how he felt about his parents’ religion, he admired both his parents and their strong belief and value in working hard and being honest. College at the University of Koinigsberg opened Kant’s eyes to philosophy, which included “mathematics and physics as well as logic, metaphysics, ethics and natural law” (Rohlf). Financially unable to pursue an academic career, Kant became a teacher at Albertina, from where he retired at seventy-two. His first writings were scientific works in 1754 and 1755. It wasn’t until later, from 1762-1764, that Kant published five...
Words: 414 - Pages: 2
...Ethic Essay Anthony Tone Ethics/316 05-27-2014 Robert Jose Ethic Essay Understanding ethics and morality when referencing the similarities and differences in Virtue Theory, Utilitarianism, and Deontological Ethics can be quite troublesome, thus, makes an individual morality and ethics contribution to decision making. Ethics is the guideline on how people should live, acknowledgement of right from wrong, fulfillment of moral obligations, and promote equality. Morality is the “conformity to the rules of right conduct; moral or virtuous conduct” (Morality, N.D., 2014). Although there are some similarities to virtue theory, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics the differences give a more precise explanation how each theory accost ethics and morality. Virtue theory expresses its views that an individual should strive for excellence in all that a person encounters and promote peer excellence. Virtue theory describes the confidence of being moral and non-moral (Boylan, 2009). Aristotle, Plato, and Aquinas founded the theories. According to Boylan (2009), Aristotle answers “every art and every methodological investigation and every action seems to aim at some good, for this reason the good is rightly said to be that to which all things aim” (pg. 135). Aristotle went on to proclaim that morality is doing the right thing even when no one is looking, but it also contributes to noble living (Boylan, 2009). Virtue ethics is described as being content or having a sense of well-being”...
Words: 556 - Pages: 3
