Immanuel Kant: The Categorical Imperative

In this particular chapter, basically it talks about the categorical imperative and the good will. I will be starting with the good will first. The good will for me is a natural act which leads us human into the doing of the right, correct or the moral act. It is not important in this world if you are rich, it is not in this world if you are powerful or you are in authority. What is important is that even if you are rich or if you are poor, you do the right acts. You do things accordingly. You follow the law. For me that is the good will. An example of a good will is that when you are walking along the streets, then you accidentally saw an old lady who will be crossing the street toughly, you, as a human being will not think twice or thrice if you will be helping the old lady or not to cross the street. As a human being, you will do what is right. That is to help sincerely. That can be for me a concrete example of the good will. Next topic is about the categorical imperative. In Wikipedia, The categorical imperative helps us to know which actions are obligatory and which are forbidden. Hypothetical imperatives are conditional: ‘If I want x then I must do y’. These imperatives are not moral. For Kant, the only moral imperatives were categorical: ‘I ought to do x”, with no reference to desires or needs. To sum it all, whatever these philosophers believing in, as a person, we should do our duties at all cause. We should do moral things and act correctly.

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