Natural Law Theory, Kant
In this paper, I plan to discuss what can account for moral goodness according to the Natural Law Theory, and the modern philosopher Immanuel Kant. Each has different views on how to judge whether a person is morally good. Each has their own standards of measurement, which will be explained throughout this paper. I will also discuss objections that can be made against the two theories. I will base this on an article I once read that gives the situation of a violinist that is dying and I had been kidnapped in order to provide life support for him or he will die. I will assess as to whether my action, to keep myself plugged in and save this persons life, was rooted in moral goodness according to each of the two theories. I chose to include the hypothetical situation this article presents in my paper because after reading it, one can't help but think what they would do if put in that situation. The Natural Law Theory rests upon a certain view of what the world is like. In this view the world has rational order and values within its structure. Everything in nature has purpose. These natural laws also explain how things ought to be. Things are said to be as they ought to when serving their natural purposes. There are als
In the case of the dying violinist, I feel that first and foremost Kant would say that the condition of being kidnapped and forced into the situation could be reason for saying that the action was not guided by moral rules. When this has happened we have achieved eudaimonia. The Natural Law Theory states that as long as actions comply with what is natural for human beings, then these actions are moral. Facts and values are two different things. The use of the categorical imperative as a test for genuine moral worth can be reliable only probabilistically at best, and absolutely reliable only if I have knowledge of every relevant fact. A Natural Law Theorist would say that keeping myself plugged into the violinist could be a moral good. A normative claim about Natural Law Theory is that whatever is natural is the way things should be. These two words do not have the same meaning, and they cause confusion within the theory. Immanuel Kant's ethics are based upon responsibility as a human being. Something is natural if it contributes to the flourishing of humans. We ought to care for the well being of our neighbor. Achieving eudaimonia, supreme good, is the ultimate goal of humans. Kant believes that morality comes from a set of rules. My actions preserved human life, and were, therefore, performed out of moral goodness. " It can be said that people ought to generous, but there is no connection to saying that people are generous.
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