Essay About Kant Aquinas And Kant’S Moral Theory Focuses

Kant Aquinas – Essay – dougkeene
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Kant Aquinas
Aaron KeenePHI 240 HSY1Wally CalabreseKant and Aquinas both have very reputable theories on morality. Both of them are considered to be influential and their theories are used by many. Kant’s moral theory focuses on reason and deals with absolutes. Aquinas on the other hand, examines intentions and uses tradition natural law theory to prove his points. To determine which one of these theories best fits within my spectrum of understanding I must examine and compare these two theories.        Kant’s moral theory is a nonconsequentialist theory. For consequentialists, moral right and wrong is determined by the outcome of an action, good consequences make an act right and bad outcomes make that act wrong. However, for nonconsequentialists, the moral rightness of a deed comes from the rightness of an action regardless of the outcome, good or bad. Kant believed that in reason alone we could find moral right and wrong. He believed that to do the right thing meant to do an action with only accordance to the moral law in my mind. Kant believed that moral laws were made entirely on categorical imperatives. Much in the same way the Bible says “thou shalt not kill” it doesn’t say thou shalt not kill unless it is to save someone else, it doesn’t say don’t steal something unless your kids will starve to death. Kant’s theory is based upon absolutes. However, one of the guidelines Kant came up with is the idea of universal law. Kant believed that an action that broke a categorical imperative can be deemed as morally permissible under certain conditions. 1) If everyone consistently acted the same way in that given situation. 2) If you yourself would be willing to let that given event occur. In my mind these statements made a lot of sense and gave some leniency to Kant’s very absolute theory. I think in most people’s moral compass if I was being chased by someone attempting to harm me and I stole someone’s car in order to make a getaway (with all intentions of later returning it) I would need to look at 2 things. Would most people act in a similar fashion given the circumstances? Yes, almost every person would so I have passed this first test. Secondly, if I were the person who owned the car would I be ok with this action if I understood the situation? Again, my answer would be yes, while I might at first be outraged for someone stealing my car I would be much less aggravated by it if I knew an innocent man was trying to run for his life. The part of Kant’s moral theory which struck a chord within me the most was his idea of the “Means-ends principle”. Kant’s view was that people should be seen as people not just as means to an ends. If every person followed this viewpoint then our world would be a much different, peaceful place.

While Kant’s theory provides many insightful points and really opens up discussions that cause the reader to think and analyze their actions, Kant’s moral theory isn’t quite the one that aligns within my particular beliefs. Kant’s moral theory is a very strict and absolute type of thinking, saying that certain rules should always be followed regardless of the consequence is an unrealistic type of thinking. However, Kant’s moral theory follows a line of thinking that would help when trying to support a deductive argument, deductive arguments have conclusions which claim to be always true. Deductive arguments and Kant’s moral theory go directly hand in hand.

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(2017, 04). Kant Aquinas. EssaysForStudent.com. Retrieved 04, 2017, from
“Kant Aquinas” EssaysForStudent.com. 04 2017. 2017. 04 2017 < "Kant Aquinas." EssaysForStudent.com. EssaysForStudent.com, 04 2017. Web. 04 2017. < "Kant Aquinas." EssaysForStudent.com. 04, 2017. Accessed 04, 2017. Essay Preview By: dougkeene Submitted: April 7, 2017 Essay Length: 1,351 Words / 6 Pages Paper type: Essay Views: 329 Report this essay Tweet Related Essays The Mind: Aristotle Kant and Socrates Daniel C. Dennet said in A Glorious Accident that, "our minds--if you like-- [are] just as real as our dreams"(Kayzer, 37). The implications of this 2,327 Words  |  10 Pages Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant was a man before his time. His philosophies, as outlined in Perpetual Peace, paved the way for modern political relations. Unbeknownst 2,703 Words  |  11 Pages Immanuel Kant 1724-1804 Immanuel Kant 1724-1804 Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724 in Konigsberg, East Prussia. He was the son of a saddler. At age 8, 3,313 Words  |  14 Pages Aquinas’ Conception of Law Conception of Law In life, there are certain goals that people tend to set for themselves. We strive to reach these goals in order to 662 Words  |  3 Pages Similar Topics Immanuel Kant Kant Vs Mill Get Access to 89,000+ Essays and Term Papers Join 209,000+ Other Students High Quality Essays and Documents Sign up © 2008–2020 EssaysForStudent.comFree Essays, Book Reports, Term Papers and Research Papers Essays Sign up Sign in Contact us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Service Facebook Twitter