Kant's Categorical Imperative and Natural Law Theory: Analysis of Virtue and Ethics

Running head: KANT AND PHILOSOPHY
KANT AND PHILOSOPHY
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KANT AND PHILOSOPHY
Kant argues that it is always wrong to treat people as a means to an end ONLY, that is, as a tool
or instrument to get something done without their consent as
rational beings. Rather, we should always treat people as ends-in-themselves, that is, as entities
with intrinsic worth. In doing so, we can do our duty to the categorical imperatives, obtain a
good will, and act right. Your task is, I think,
relatively easy: think of at least two situations where someone or a group of people is treated as a
means to an end only and, using Kantian concepts, show why such activity is immoral. You may
find an application of the second categorical
imperative is helpful, along with an emphasis on contradictions of the will or self-defeating
patterns of behavior (as I explain in my lecture).
Ans.) The term categorical imperative refers to the objective, rationally requisite and
unconditional principle that needs to be followed despite the prevalence of the natural desires or
the inclinations (Guyer 2014). According to Kant, the moral requirements are justified through
the principle that indicates all the immoral actions as they infringe the Categorical Imperative.
The two situations in which people are used as a means to the end are as follows. The first
situation is when a woman would marry a man solely for his wealth and by doing so would try to
secure her economic position. In a patriarchal society, it has been found that women are
discouraged from pursuing their career and they are made to believe they should devote
themselves in the private sphere and concentrate on the affective roles. Due to this pressure of
role-play on women to succeed in the private sphere, women are socialized to essay their role
perfectly in the private sphere. Therefore, many women seek economic security in their

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KANT AND PHILOSOPHY
relationship especially in their marriage and look for partners who have the potential to satiate all
their economic needs. Terms like gold-digger and social climber have been used for such
women. Although, it is the structure that pushes these women to resort to such preferences,
however it cannot be denied that women that women take these decisions very well knowing that
they are marrying such men to fulfill their financial needs or otherwise they would not have
married such men. The second incident where a group or a person is treated as means to achieve
certain end would be the phenomenon of the stolen generation in Australia. The aboriginal
children in Australia were taken away despite the resistance of the Aboriginal adults. The
rationale behind stealing or snatching away these aboriginal children can be attributed to the
malevolent motive of the white colonial settlers in Australia for using these children as station
workers and domestic workers. In the absence of the cheap and unpaid labour that were forced
out of these children, the colonial settlers would not have been able to build the infrastructure
and wealth that would ultimately contribute to their prosperity. The authorities took away these
children on the pretext that they would be neglected by the Aboriginal parents. However, the
children remained malnourished as they were not compensated for their arduous labour. Both
these illustrations are indicative of immoral acts that have been envisaged by Kant. According to
the ethical tenet of Kant, that there are certain acts that are absolutely immoral and is deemed to
be incompatible in a civilized society (White 2009). Kant was of the opinion an act should
follow the rational goals of human action rather than merely satiating one’s purpose. If the goals
sought by an individual has wrecks the moral fabric of the society, such acts should not be
entertained. The theory of Kant is reflective of deontological moral theory as it does not depend
on the wrongness or the rightness of the action and depend on the consequences of the action in
terms of fulfillment of duty.