by AisA

Created on: June 01, 2008

CRITIQUE OF KANT'S FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF THE METAPHYSIC OF MORALS

(passages in quotes are from the original text)

Genius, insight, eloquence, prescience, yet specious, unsubstantiated, contradictory, and dangerous; all of which come to mind when describing Kant's treatise on the metaphysics of morals (http://philosophy.eserver.org/kant/metaphys-of-mora ls.txt). His depth of understanding and powers of articulation have made this venerable three century old work a timeless treasure, but unfortunately, his failures in reasoning forever prevent it from speaking authoritatively on morals. At its best, Kant makes important contributions to understanding the metaphysics of morals, but at its worst, it serves as dangerous ammunition for those who would make the individual subservient to their needs. This critique presents Kant's most notable passages indented in italics with this author's criticism immediately following. These passages have been taken out of Kant's original sequence for the purpose of categorizing them by the following themes:

1 Genuine contributions
2 Refusal to acknowledge the role of experience in establishing moral laws
3 God, the ultimate false authority
4 Fallacy of asserting instinct over reason
5 The impossibility of the categorical imperative
6 Apparent prejudice against man's happiness
7 Violation of his own principle of absolute necessity
8 His own admissions to the weaknesses of his arguments

Genuine contributions

"All trades, arts, and handiworks have gained by division of labour, namely, when, instead of one man doing everything, each confines himself to a certain kind of work distinct from others in the treatment it requires, so as to be able to perform it with greater facility and in the greatest perfection. Where the different kinds of work are not distinguished and divided, where everyone is a jack-of-all-trades, there manufactures remain still in the greatest barbarism."

While not directly a contribution to the understanding of the metaphysics of morals, this is a wonderful illustration of the genius of Kant at his best; identifying a crucial principle of human nature and stating it with share eloquence. The fact that Kant recognized and embraced the benefits of division of labor before both Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" and Henry Ford's assembly line makes it that much more impressive.

"As my concern here is with moral philosophy, I limit the question suggested to this: Whether it is not of the utmost necessity to construct a pure thing

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