Kant and Moral Motivation
Kant claims that the only type of act which can be described as moral is one which comes from a good will. The will is our capacity to act. A good will is one which is motivated purely by the ‘moral law’. In other words, good actions are actions which we perform solely because we believe them to be the right thing to do. We can have ‘talents of the mind’ such as intelligence, ‘qualities of temperament’ such as courage which make up good character, ‘gifts of fortune’ such as wealth or power, and complete happiness. All of these things can be of value, but all can be misused – intelligence and money can be used for evil purposes, we might display courage in the pursuit of the wrong cause, and happiness might make us selfish. But someone who is motivated purely by the idea of doing the right thing displays a good will, and this is the only thing which is good without qualification.
We always admire someone who acts for the right reason. Even if they do not produce the best outcome we believe they are still to be admired. For example, if someone tries to save a stranger because they see this as the right thing to do, but fails to save them, we still judge the would-be rescuer as being morally good. Whenever someone acts solely out of respect for the moral law then we see them as beyond criticism.
If we act out of self-interest then this can never be a morally good act even if it results in a positive outcome for others. For example, if someone saves many lives because they are paid to do so then they do not count as being morally good. Nor can we base morality in the emotional aspect of humanity such as sympathy (Hume). This is because our emotions vary from one person to the next (eg some are more sympathetic than others), and because even generally sympathetic people will find their emotions are weaker on some occasions and don’t find themselves motivated to act in the right way. But moral obligations bind us universally
– all of us must always do the right thing even if it doesn’t benefit us personally and we don’t feel like doing it.
Reason explains how it is that morality can bind all persons at all times
– it is the defining quality of persons. Reason is universal and absolute
– the laws of reason always hold. This is why morality always binds us. Kant also claims that reason can guide us in making the right decisions.
Do you agree or disagree with the following claims that Kant makes? Why
(not)?
1 Only actions performed for the sake of morality can be morally good actions.
2
3
4
Aside from a good will, all other positive features of the human condition such as courage or intelligence can be misused.
We always admire people who act because it is the right thing to do, even if they don’t produce good results.
The emotions are not reliable and therefore cannot explain the binding nature of moral obligation.