Immanuel Kant's critique of happiness as an ethical principle Term Paper

Immanuel Kants critique of happiness as an honorable principle - Term Paper ExampleImmanuel Kants critique of happiness as an ethical principleIn his deontological theory, which is based on duty, he emphasized on the pre-eminence of reason that lead to the shapeions. He indicates that it is a persons duty to act morally by obeying the moral law. He mentions, Everyone moldiness admit that if a law is to have a moral force, that is, to be a basis of an obligation, it must carry with it absolute necessity (Kant, 1785, p.51) ii. Kant defines duty as practical and un cultivateal necessity of movement which holds true for all rational beings. (Kant, 1785, p. 26) Kant describes happiness as a natural purpose of life. He quotes, All rational beings that are dependent and thus one purpose that they not sole(prenominal) can have scarce that we can assume they all do have as a matter of natural necessity. This purpose is happiness (Kant, 1785, p. 20). Kant, however, finds happiness as an a mbiguous feeling. He says, The concept of happiness is so indefinite that, although each person wishes to attain it, he can never give a definite and self-consistent business relationship of what it is that he wishes and wills under the heading of wanting happiness (Kant, 1785, p. 21). A persons perception of happiness is dependent on his experiences in life. A person might feel that wealth will give him happiness someone else may want knowledge while those who feel that life itself gives pleasure may wish to have long life. However, they may not know with wealth comes anxiety in them and envy and maneuverings of others which make the person unhappy. Knowledge may surface a person the dreadfulness of evils which he was ignorant of and hence scare him. Long life accompanied with continuous illness is a burden more than than a boon. Hence they may not feel as happy as the imagined on their achievement. Additionally, if a person pursues happiness, he can only last bits and pieces of advice which may be frugality, diet, restraints etc. and not detailed guiding principles as we have in case of moral laws. To explain the path of actual happiness, Kant (1785) mentions, the end idea of happiness requires the thought of an absolute wholethe thought of a maximum of well-being in my present and in every future condition (p. 21). Kant (1785) adds, There couldnt be an imperative that in the strict sense commanded us to do what makes for happiness, because happiness is an ideal not of reason but of imagination, depending only on empirical grounds. (p. 22). Thus, a person will achieve what he imagines as happiness, depends on several factors that can impact his future states and that there is not even remote possibility that he will take up a single action that can deviate him from his mission of complete happiness. In whatsoever scenario, it is not possible for a human being to have the kind of foresight and capability to plan and achieve his sources of happiness in much(prenominal) a manner. Hence he can never be happy as understood in a common mans language. Kant has explained that an action based on impulse to satisfy ones feelings cannot always be right. Such an action that is motivated by some sort of controversy can never be based on moral laws. Also, what makes a person happy can be cause of other persons unhappiness. It cannot be ethical to make another human being unhappy. Thus Kant has explained the meaning of happiness in a manner that it does not play any role in the ethical system. Alternatively he has chosen to define happiness as the end purpose of any human beings life and not an ethic. He says Humanity might survive even if