Ministerial Theology - An Analysis of Immanuel Kant's Ethical System

This article provides an analysis of Immanuel Kant's ethical system, specifically his deontological theory. It explores the importance of duty, virtue, and treating others as ends in themselves. The article also discusses Kant's views on character and moral obligation.

Running head: Ministerial Theology
Ministerial Theology
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1MINISTERIAL THEOLOGY
The ethical system of Immanuel Kant, which is an example of deontological theory,
states that the rightness or wrongness of an action depends on its duty to moral law. According to
this theory, an action can only be good if the principle behind it abides by the moral law1.
According to Immanuel Kant, for an action to be acceptable, one should be able to apply it to
everybody. In addition, human beings should treat other people not as a means to an end but as
ends in themselves.
According to Immanuel Kant, virtue is the highest and unconditioned good, which is the
moral good while happiness is the conditioned good, i.e. pathological good, making happiness in
accordance with virtue the complete or ultimate good2. The absolute good of the world does not
depend on the will of any creature but on the will of God. Value is an unconditioned good, a
good that is precious and valuable regardless of circumstances and is the condition of all other
goods. Virtue is the supreme good and no good that is higher than virtue. The concept of a higher
good incorporates both virtue and happiness. Happiness and virtue must coexist together if the
highest good is to be realized.
According to Immanuel Kant, a person with a good character is a person who not only
has a good will that is a basic commitment to morality, but the person is also virtuous in nature
and fulfills this requirement despite obstacles that may come in the way of that person. A person
with a bad character has an evil will that is primarily meant to satiate the non-rational desires of
that person. A person with an evil will us also stubborn in nature and is persistent in pursuing her
1 Huber, Herbert. "Immanuel Kant: Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten." Klassische Werke
zur philosophischen Ethik: Studienbuch für Philosophie-und Ethiklehrer (2016): 171.
2 Huber, Herbert. "Immanuel Kant: Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten." Klassische Werke
zur philosophischen Ethik: Studienbuch für Philosophie-und Ethiklehrer (2016): 171.

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self-interest. Thus according to Immanuel Kant, these are the most fundamental types of
characters that individuals possess. Immanuel Kant negates the possibility of the fact that a
diabolical evil person exists, someone who is committed to evil for the sake of evil. According to
Immanuel Kant, a person must work consistently over a period of time to cultivate a virtuous
character by repeatedly doing virtuous acts. However, Kant also opines that no matter what a
person one can never reach moral perfection. The duty of a person is to cultivate a good
character though practice and labour.
According to Immanuel Kant, one should not treat neighbours as a means to an end but
always as ends in themselves. According to Kant, human beings should not be treated merely as
a means to an end but they must always be treated as an ends in itself3. One must respect the
motives of our neighbours. According to Immanuel Kant, morality is motivated by reason, and
stress that individuals respect reason as a motive in all human beings, including one’s
neighbours. According to Immanuel Kant, a human being who is rational in nature cannot
completely consent to be treated merely as a means to an end, hence they should always be
treated as an end in itself. Immanuel Kant justified his stance by staring that moral obligation is a
necessity that is rational in nature, something, which is rationally willed, is morally right. Since
every rational human being considers himself or herself not merely as a means, but as a means to
an end, it is essential to treat all rational human beings as a means to an end. This however does
not imply that a person cannot treat one’s neighbours or other human beings as a means to an
3 Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals: With an Updated Translation,
Introduction, and Notes. Yale University Press, 2018.

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end, but when a person is treated that way, i.e as a means to an end, it is imperative to treat that
person as an end in himself.
Immanuel Kant’s ethical system is deontological normative theory. It is considered
deontological for a plethora of reasons. Firstly, Kant states to act in a morally right way,
individuals should act from a sense of duty. Secondly, Immanuel Kant felt that it was not the
consequences of an action that made it morally right or wrong but the motives of the person who
conducts the action. Immanuel Kant’s ethical system is absolutistic in nature. For example,
Immanuel Kant feels that lying is wrong no matter what the reason and the consequences4.
Immanuel Kant’s ethical system is altruistic in nature. Kant’s ethics is essentially about
altruism. According to Immanuel Kant, acting out of one’s own self interest except when doing
so uses another person’s as a means to one’s end. This refers to Immanuel Kant’s basic moral
principle that one should not treat other individuals as mere means to one’s end.
4 Kant, Morals Immanuel. "Foundations of the Metaphysics of Translated by Lewis White Beck."
In Seven Masterpieces of Philosophy, pp. 285-336. Routledge, 2016.
Guyer, Paul. Kant. Routledge, 2014.

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REFERENCES:
Guyer, Paul. Kant. Routledge, 2014.
Huber, Herbert. "Immanuel Kant: Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten." Klassische Werke
zur philosophischen Ethik: Studienbuch für Philosophie-und Ethiklehrer (2016): 171.
Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals: With an Updated Translation,
Introduction, and Notes. Yale University Press, 2018.
Kant, Immanuel. The science of right. Charles River Editors via PublishDrive, 2018.
Kant, Morals Immanuel. "Foundations of the Metaphysics of Translated by Lewis White Beck."
In Seven Masterpieces of Philosophy, pp. 285-336. Routledge, 2016.
Kleingeld, Pauline. "The Problematic Status of Gender-Neutral Language in the History of
Philosophy: The Case of Kant." In Immanuel Kant, pp. 99-115. Routledge, 2017.