Morality
- Submitted by: jhollins12
- Views: 190
- Category: Politics: Moral Issues
- Date Submitted: 03/25/2015 02:58 PM
- Pages: 3
- Report this Essay
Jasmine Hollins
April 21, 2012
Morality: Right vs. Wrong
Morality is the differentiation between the “right” and “wrong” and the “good” and the “bad.” Many philosophers wonder the same question, “How should I live?” Having moral standards helps to define the way “one should live.” For four different philosophers, came four different opinions on moral standards. However, I believe Kant has the most correct view of morality and Nietzsche has the least correct view.
Immanuel Kant believed that morality is a matter of duty, and those duties come from applying reason. He also said that moral laws are universal, meaning that they apply to everyone. Kant had two imperatives, the hypothetical imperative and the categorical imperative. One reason I believe Kant’s views on morality are the most correct is because of the inclusion of the latter. This states that one should “act as if the maxim of thy action were to become a universal law of nature” (330). For example, if one person felt it was right to steal, they would have to take into consideration “what if the whole world was allowed to steal as well?” Another reason Kant has the most correct view of morality is because he believes every human should have dignity. Like Kant, I believe that we should respect everyone’s dignity. We should never use people just to obtain a selfish goal, but we should always view the situation with good intentions.
On the opposite end of this belief of morality is Friedrich Nietzsche. This anti-philosopher based his beliefs off of the assumption that “God is dead,” which leads to nihilism, the Latin word for “nothing” having meaning or purpose. If God were dead, where would ones faith come from? He also argues that everyone has the Will to Power. If everyone had the will to power, or were constantly striving for more, there would be too many people trying to take control. Nietzsche proposed the “herd mentality” which pulled everyone down to the lowest standards. Who...
April 21, 2012
Morality: Right vs. Wrong
Morality is the differentiation between the “right” and “wrong” and the “good” and the “bad.” Many philosophers wonder the same question, “How should I live?” Having moral standards helps to define the way “one should live.” For four different philosophers, came four different opinions on moral standards. However, I believe Kant has the most correct view of morality and Nietzsche has the least correct view.
Immanuel Kant believed that morality is a matter of duty, and those duties come from applying reason. He also said that moral laws are universal, meaning that they apply to everyone. Kant had two imperatives, the hypothetical imperative and the categorical imperative. One reason I believe Kant’s views on morality are the most correct is because of the inclusion of the latter. This states that one should “act as if the maxim of thy action were to become a universal law of nature” (330). For example, if one person felt it was right to steal, they would have to take into consideration “what if the whole world was allowed to steal as well?” Another reason Kant has the most correct view of morality is because he believes every human should have dignity. Like Kant, I believe that we should respect everyone’s dignity. We should never use people just to obtain a selfish goal, but we should always view the situation with good intentions.
On the opposite end of this belief of morality is Friedrich Nietzsche. This anti-philosopher based his beliefs off of the assumption that “God is dead,” which leads to nihilism, the Latin word for “nothing” having meaning or purpose. If God were dead, where would ones faith come from? He also argues that everyone has the Will to Power. If everyone had the will to power, or were constantly striving for more, there would be too many people trying to take control. Nietzsche proposed the “herd mentality” which pulled everyone down to the lowest standards. Who...