Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals

Kant reiterates his argument that some people follow duty because they feel obligated to, not because they genuinely want to. In fact, he goes so far as to claim that “no reliable example can be cited of the disposition to act from pure duty [...]” (21, 4:406). It is much more common to see people act out of “self love,” in which they act for themselves and not others. Many people are able to convince themselves their selfish actions are good and they contain a maxim. Others do not believe in morality at all. While these observations seem to cast doubt on Kant’s project, he re-asserts that we know morality exists because we can recognize moral qualities a priori. This is exhibited in our understanding of God as “moral perfection” (23, 4:409). We possess innate knowledge of God’s moral character, which gives us the opportunity to define morality based on something we can never directly know. This further proves that experience alone is not enough to provide a comprehensive understanding of morality.

Since morality exists in nature, it must be governed by laws. Kant asserts that morals are ruled by imperatives, writing that “the representation of an objective principle in so far as it is necessitating for a will is called a command, and the formula of the command is called imperative” (27, 4:413).