Kant’s Formulation of Categorical Imperative
Kant formulated three principal formulas in categorical imperative. The second formula of humanity has gained a lot of critics and commentaries and will be used in this study. Kant highlights that a good will is the only thing without qualification. Goodwill is governed by a reason that entails motivation by duty rather than a consideration of the impacts. The duty of various individuals is to obey the moral law, which is expressed as a categorical imperative. Kant’s formulas of the universal law highlight on the closeness to intuition, the nearer to feeling and the gain of hearing the moral law as he explains the popular moral philosophy and the metaphysics of morals. This study will use the humanity formula to critique the reasoning behind his philosophy and ideologies of the human concepts.
The Humanity Formula
Kant depicts that the common feature of humanity or the rational nature gives the capacity for setting an end. From this perspective, the ends are the practical reason for distinguishing human beings from animals rather than the instinctive determinants of our actions. The end acts as an object that can be freely chosen under one’s obligation. The idea of cultivation depicts the humanity in the setting ends (Kant 46). There are many unique aspects of human beings which differentiate them from animals, rather than relying on the setting ending to make a conclusive argument on their distinction from animals. On the contrary, human beings portray different features from each other but carry the aspects of humanity in them. For instance, the skin color heights, a way of speaking and other aspects far from their behavior. Kant’s argument does not hold the reasoning behind the choice rationality which he uses to explain his philosophy.
Kant’s Concept of Intuition and Concepts
Kant depicts that human knowledge is obtained from two separate sources when the first object is understood from the thoughts it produces. Moreover, he refers to the perceived representations as objects of “Intuition” and the thoughts as “concepts”. Using this as the basis in his argument, Kant comes up with a conclusion that our concepts and intuition are related for us to understand the real knowledge and it is impossible to have one without the availability of the other (Kant 46). Although Kant claims that our priori knowledge gives the form while this form gives us the ability to understand concepts, human beings are not aware of it in producing knowledge. When getting the knowledge of it, it should be examined, received and reviewed in terms of the relationship through the process of synthesis rather than understanding the concepts to produce knowledge.
Criticizing Kant’s Argument on Intuition
Kant labels intuition as more confusing and appears to go through a circle. According to his argument on the setting end, knowledge requires no experience but he depicts that we are not consciously aware of this kind of knowledge in relation to how human receive, synthesize or process information. He goes further to trace the steps which are developed by powers of reason. The reasons direct the human beings to the objects around their environment as well as instinctual desire. The development of human desires such as beauty, taste, and love is concerned with the future (Kant 48). Kant’s argument can be criticized on the grounds that human beings respond to their desires depending on many factors such as background, upbringing, social status among other elements. Human beings synthesize the knowledge they possess before responding to the events or desires in their reach.
Work cited
Kant, Immanuel. "Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals, trans." HJ Paton. London: Hutchinson (1948).
