What is the categorical imperative of Emanuel Kant (Immanuel Kant)? Philosophy is a complex and complicated science. However, let's be consistent and first turn to the theory. It is dry, gray, dull, like stale bread. But bread is bread, it’s the head of everything, you can’t throw it away, no matter how “impossible” it may seem.
So, the categorical imperatives of Kant I. are the “moral law” formulated by him, according to which a person should “act in such a way that the maxim of his behavior on the basis of his will can become a general natural law”. In other words, if a person seeks to become part of a truly moral one, he needs to consciously approach his every judgment and deed, that is, before or after (preferably “before”) stop for a moment, freeze, go out of his body, distance himself from stereotypes existing in consciousness , norms and rules of behavior, discard the logic and give a true assessment of what is happening:
- whether your act, your judgment (maxim of your behavior) can become a single universal law;
- whether the person to whom your action is addressed is the highest value, or is it a means of achieving your goal;
- Are all your actions oriented to the common good, to the good of all mankind.
The last judgment sounds a little pathetic, but there is a “butterfly effect” here - our every desire, thought, emotion, dream and hope, even in the most microscopic form, lives, grows and spreads. Nothing disappears without a trace. And no one knows how this will respond and what it will lead to in the soul of another person. Therefore, we must be careful and take responsibility for every vibration inside, for every second in our life, because it can change everything beyond recognition both in our life and in the life of another person.
Emanuel Kant: the categorical imperative
And now the question arises: “is it possible, is it possible to live, following the idea called“ Kant's categorical imperatives ”? In his work, in his judgments, the great philosopher invites the reader to join a joint discussion of this topic and take a look at himself, a person familiar in all respects from a different point of view ...
According to the author, in everyone, even in the most morally deserted person, there is a kind of good will, genuine morality, inherent in us from birth. She is unconditional. She is perfect. For example, “reason, wit, and ability to judge” or “courage, determination, determination” are good and desirable qualities for any individual. But this is on the one hand. And on the other? They can become extremely "evil and harmful" without the presence of goodwill. Too much and unpredictable in human nature is the desire for pleasure and enjoyment, which is put by our mind on a par with happiness. For example, today a person is kind and honest, because it looks worthy in the eyes of other people, and such behavior gives him a certain “sophisticated” pleasure. And if tomorrow a good and honest act is on the same cup with a great temptation or a threat to life? What to do in this case? Any property of character, any talent, whatever desire, deed or judgment without genuine morality will be aimed not at perfecting the spirit and not for the good of mankind, but at satisfying the egoistic needs of man.
However, a certain higher beginning, which was originally inherent in us, does not promise that today or tomorrow we will become enlightened. It can only help in the formation of us as a moral ideal. This is a burning torch in the hands of a man who illuminates his path. But where to go, in which direction, with whom and for what, the choice is ours and it should be free. I choose one way or another, I act one way or another, my torch illuminates my road, and I see what stones I can trip over, so I and only I take responsibility for my life. Of course, you can’t do without hesitations and falls, but they are followed by an upsurge, repentance and awareness of who you are in this world and what is the world around. And a man thus voluntarily, consciously, reasonably enters the path of submission to moral laws. This is the eternal circle, passing through which a person becomes moral, and therefore free. Thanks to him, a person becomes free, and therefore moral. Thus, Kant's categorical imperatives cannot become effective from today to tomorrow. This is, according to the philosopher himself, that a person should take as a basis, what to strive for, what to follow, because if you raise the duty to both the individual person and humanity as a whole, you act morally in the highest sense of the word.
What can be said in conclusion? As the saying goes, Kant's categorical imperatives are the sixth
proof of the existence of God. Why? Yes, because without faith in God, the essence of the teachings of the German philosopher is equated to zero. It is based on three postulates. The first is faith in God as a symbol of the moral ideal to which one must strive, and only true faith in the Creator gives the realization that man is the highest value, because he was created in the image and likeness of Him. The second is the immortality of the soul, because only in the perspective of infinity can the soul fully fulfill the categorical imperative. And the third - free will is nothing but a will subordinated to moral laws.