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Universal law and an end in itself
1. ... h On one hand, these imperatives sometimes tell us what to do only on the assumption that we have a certain end. ... Categorical imperatives, on the other hand, tell us what we ought to do, but without reference to any further end. ... Essentially, Kant provides three major formulations for this imperative, though he claims that they are all the versions of the same Categorical Imperative: The Formula of Universal Law; the Formula of the End in Itself (the Formula of Humanity); and the Formula of the Kingdom of Ends. ...
The Formula of Universal Law states that we should act only on those maxims through which we can will at the same time that they be universal laws. Kant asks whether we can will a maxim to be a universal law without any contradiction. ... For example, if you will theft to became a universal law, you must deny the existence of property rights. ... For example, you cannot will that refusing to accept any help or refusing to offer any help should become a universal law, since you yourself may need help in the future.
The Formula of the End in Itself (humanities) states that we should treat humanity, in ourselves and in others, never simply as a means but always at the same time as an end. ... Thus, in such a case, I treat the person as a means or as an end, since I do not give him or her any right opportunity to assess the given project and to consent .
We are now in a position to consider the equivalence between the Formula of Universal Law and the Formula of the End in Itself. As I referred to before, Kant himself asserts that these two formulations of the Categorical imperative are at bottom merely so many formulations of precisely the same law. ... its material significance in leading agents to moral reflection and action, which can be typically seen in the Formula of the End in Itself. ... In concluding, I will then argue that Kantian claim that the Formula of the Universal Law and the Formula of the End in Itself are all at bottom the same, is sustained. ...
If we cannot claim that both of the formulae are in some sense equivalent, the argument of Groundwork is quite unsatisfactory: On one hand, it is true that the most important point made in Kantfs ethics is that he provides for the supreme principle of morality lead us to the formula of the universal law; but on the other hand, it is the formula of the End in Itself, the ideal of treating persons as ends and avoiding using them as means, not the ideal of acting of on universalizable principles, that we actually feel sympathy in Kantian ethics.
Approximate Word count = 1891
Approximate Pages = 7.6
(250 words per page double spaced)
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