Philosophy in Kant's Groundwork of Term Paper

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Since a hypothetical imperative represents one of many possibilities that are only means to an end, they cannot be objectively necessary, and therefore do not have the same command over human behavior as a categorical imperative. As Kant notes, commands are laws that we must obey, even when they contradict our inclinations (27).

(b)

If we treat others as a means to an end, then we use them in service of another goal. However, if we treat others as an end in themselves, then we respect them without regard to any other goals or ends. To treat someone as a means to an end is to make them less important than some end result, whereas to treat someone as an end in themselves makes them the final and most important consideration. Slavery may be the most offensive example of using others as a means to an end, but there are many more benign examples. For instance, when I take my car to the mechanic, do I treat the mechanic as an end in himself or is he simply a means to achieve the goal of getting my car fixed? It seems that it should be possible to treat others as ends in themselves even when the basis of our interaction with them is another goal.

In Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant says that there is only one purpose that we can presuppose all rational beings have, and that is happiness (26). When we treat another person as a means to an end, we do not prioritize their happiness or consider their purposes because we regard them merely as a tool to get something else.

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In the case of the car mechanic, it is possible to consider his happiness and behave according to the moral duty to consider him as an end in himself, regardless of whether the car is fixed or not. As for slavery, however,….....

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