Moral Judgements Are Morally Wrong - 2025 Words

Ethics is an area of philosophy that deals with what is morally right and what is morally wrong behavior. Inside of ethics, there are two major views of thinking when making choices about different principles. Deontology is the idea that choices should be made based on obeying moral norms. Moral judgements are contained in an act alone. A deontologist would decide on the moral worth of an action based on the intention of the action. Immanuel Kant, an eighteenth century German philosopher, is considered a deontologist and one of the pivotal figures in modern philosophy. Alternatively, consequentialism is the view that actions should be deemed morally right or wrong based on the outcomes an action has. A consequentialist would compare the†¦show more content†¦Kant created a thought process, named the Categorical Imperative, that helps a person determine what their duties are and what actions should be done and what actions should not be done. Kant strongly believes that morali ty is derived from rationality and this is evident in his Categorical Imperative. Simply put, Kant believes what is right is right and what is wrong is wrong. There is no gray areas in this thought process. The First Formulation in his Categorical Imperatives states, â€Å"Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law (Kant).† A maxim is an idea and rule that actions and reasons are in accordance with universal laws. This means that a person is not allowed to do something that they are not willinging to allow everyone else to do or they are not willinging to do in all actions. In an example where I may lie to a friend and tell her that I like her haircut even if I think it looks terrible and do so to protect her feelings, I am making the case that lying is universally okay in all cases. According to the First Formulation of the Categorical Imperative, I would have to be okay with lying in all situations. Even a situat ion when a witness protects a rapist from going to jail by lying would have to be okay by me according to Kant.