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Kant S Three Premises

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Kant's Moral Philosophy

Emmanuel Kant's moral philosophy is founded on a supreme standard of rationality that

he dubbed ‘Categorical Imperative.' Kant described Categorical Imperative as an objective and

an unconditional principle that all human ought to follow even though they may have other

inclinations. According to Kant, all other moral principles derive from the Categorical

Imperative. Thus, for actions to be immoral or irrational, they must have violated the principles

of Categorical Imperative. There are three maxims that Kant developed for this theory. The first

premise of Categorical Imperative is that a person's action would be right if it without condition

and it is the same action that an individual in similar circumstances would do. Secondly, an

action would be right if it treats other individuals as an end in themselves and not as a means to

an end (Johnson 6). Finally, Kant sums up his theory by saying that action would pass to be right

when it seeks to develop a universally applicable standard on how to treat other people. The

Categorical Imperative is a moral theory that is incredibly important in the analysis of the actions

of individuals in the society. The following is an analysis of the Character of Patrick in a film,

Gone Baby Gone, using the lenses of Kant's Categorical Imperative.

The morality of Patrick's action in ‘Gone Baby Gone.'

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Patrick is the lead character in the film Gone Baby Gone. Using Kant's Categorical

Imperative, it is possible to understand the moral compass of Patrick's actions. Early in the

movie, Patrick is presented with a decision to make regarding his involvement in an assignment

to investigate the abduction of Amanda. Although he is initially hesitant, Patrick initially accepts

the assignment. Kant's first maxim supports Patrick's involvement in the task since he decides

without any apparent gain that is due to him. It is a decision that any person in his decision may

have deemed appropriate (Guyer 17). Had the roles been reversed and Amanda took the position

of Patrick, Patrick would have expected Amanda to decide to rescue him. The most critical

aspect of Patrick's decision is that there is no condition for his involvement, neither did he do it

for his happiness but for the sake of doing what is right.

The relevance of Kant's second maxim becomes evident in the context where Patrick is

pursuing the abductors of Amanda. For any investigator in any well-ordered society, some laws

govern their operations. However, Patrick was presented with circumstances that compelled him

to make decisions regarding whether to break the law and make the assignment successful or

obey the law and kill the mission. In these circumstances, Partick decides to disregard the law

sine retrieving Amanda is the end of the mission and as long as his actions are aimed at

preserving her life and accomplishing the mission, then his actions are acceptable. The actions of

Patrick qualify to be right on the basis that they consider Amanda as the end and not a means to

the end, a position that is in line with the second maxim (Engstrong 38).

Ultimately, the final maxim that Kant proposes is that the actions of individuals qualify to

be right when they seek to establish principles that govern the conduct other people across the

world. The decision by Patrick to report the kidnapping to the police should serve an example to

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Surname 1 Name Course Professor Date Kant's Moral Philosophy Emmanuel Kant's moral philosophy is founded on a supreme standard of rationality that he dubbed ‘Categorical Imperative.' Kant described Categorical Imperative as an objective and an unconditional principle that all human ought to follow even though they may have other inclinations. According to Kant, all other moral principles derive from the Categorical Imperative. Thus, for actions to be immoral or irrational, they must have violated the principles of Categorical Imperative. There are three maxims that Kant developed for this theory. The first premise of Categorical Imperative is that a person's action would be right if it without condition and it is the same action that an individual in similar circumstances would do. Secondly, an action would be right if it treats other individuals as an end in themselves and not as a means to an end (Johnson 6). Finally, Kant sums up his theory by saying that action would pass to be right when it seeks to develop a universally applicable standard on how to treat other people. The Categorical Imperative is a moral theory that is incredibly important in the analysis of the actions o ...
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