I've been skimming through some of Immanuel Kant's philosophical work recently as I've not read any since 95/96 during my A-Level Theology, and it struck me that I would class myself as trying to live a 'Kantian' life in the intervening years. Essentially, Kant says, that which we ought to do is obviously different to that which we might want to do. However, it is our duty to do that which is morally right, regardless of how difficult that might be. An action will be moral if the motivation is morality itself. It is ok to be instinctly moral, but Kant argued we have a duty to be moral even when our self-interest says otherwise. In the Metaphysics of Morals he says;
In accordance with the ethical law of perfection'love your neighbour as
yourself', the maxim of benevolence is a duty of all human beings toward
one another, whether or not one finds them worthy of love.
It makes you wonder if that kind of principle was applied how many relationships would last longer. Consider the scenario; wife wants husband to do something for her; man can't be bothered because the footy's on so why should he? OR wife wants husband to do something for her; man huffs and puffs but does it for her because he values her happiness above his own.
Or how about man and woman have argument; she would really love to hurl the perfect put-down at him that will upset him. But she knows that she will regret saying it should she do so and so makes a moral choice to refrain.
You know what I've always found annoying? When people give it all that "I am who I am, and if you don't like it you can f**** off," as if they have some divine right to absolve themselves of any kind of blame. "It's just the way I am."
I'm sorry but I don't buy into that. Every human being has the capacity to make a choice in every possible situation. Just because our instincts might be to say or do what we feel does not mean it is moral to do so.
For a more in-depth insight into Kant, the Enlightenment and how today we have abandoned reason I recommend How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World by Francis Wheen.
1 comment:
Oh my god, my mate when I was younger always used to say "Well that's the way I am".... I had to refrain from shouting at her each time.
I find that every person who says they say what they want, that's the way they are etc. etc. is a liar. Everyone adapts their personality at some point. We all have different persona's dependant on the situation we are in at the time.
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