In order to understand the strengths of Immanuel KantÆs views on morality and morals, we must recognize that he argues for a realm of moral law that transcends both the realm of science and sensory experience. In The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant posits human reason with the ability to conceive of a world that is beyond that capable of being experienced by the sense or ôsensibleö experience. By using reason to rise above experience or sensory data, human beings are able, in KantÆs view, to experience certain ôtranscendentö principles. While we can never experience a concept such as the soul, Kant argues we can conceive of it and benefit from its study as the highest of all mental pursuits. This analysis will discuss some of the major strengths and weaknesses of KantÆs moral philosophy as expressed in Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals.
In contemplating this transcendent realm through reason, Kant formulated his concept that serves as the basis for all moral action, the ôcategorical imperative.ö The categorical imperative is a singular command that applies across the entire range of human behavior. This command dictates the same moral outcome for all human beings, a strength of KantÆs philosophy in that it uniformly applies to all human beings as a measure of the morality of action. Also referred to by Kant as a ômaxim,ö the categorical imperative mandates that oneÆs actions, in order to be moral, must be such that they can be willed to be universal law.
A major strength of this moral philosophy is that it inextricably links ôreason and moralityö (Kant, p. 98). This implies that individuals should always strive to act in a manner whereby they treat other human beings, oneself or others, as an end in themselves and not as merely a means. Another strength of KantÆs moral philosophy is that it encompasses dignity for the self and others, since to use a person as merely a ômeansö woul...