Moral Duty, Essay Example

Categorical Imperatives implies to the need to follow a command unconditionally and a way of selecting the best course of action.  A person is motivated to avoid cheating on taxes for example despite the fact that such cheating may be associated with some interests. Moral duty is closely related to categorical imperatives since through morality, an individual is commanded by categorical imperatives and no options to pull out or claim that categorical imperatives do not apply to the person. Imperatives mean instructions which dictate the course of action for a person. Imperatives have been classified as categorical and hypothetical by Kant (Marcus, 217-225).

Categorical Imperatives dictates to a person what ought to be done despite motivations from any other desires. According to moral duty, a person it is not a must to be told that, “If you want to avoid prison, then refrain from stealing cars” but rather it states that, “refrain from stealing cars”. People are guided by moral duties to refrain from stealing irrespective of whether staying out of prison or not are the desire (Henry, 123). Categorical Imperatives therefore sets an unconditional demand for an action to be executed for the sake of that particular action only. Kant argues that, a special position has been reserved for people in creation. Moral duty is attributed to an imperative as well as an ultimate commandment where the obligations as well as duties to be undertaken by humans are derived. Therefore, Kant attributes categorical imperatives to the propositions that can potentially declare specified actions as well as inactions as being imperative and necessary. This ideology therefore explains the connection between moral duty and categorical imperatives

Works cited

Henry E. Allison Kant’s Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals: A Commentary. Oup Oxford, 2011.

Marcus Arvan “Unifying the Categorical Imperative”. Southwest Philosophy Review 28 (1):217-225, 2012.