Immanuel Kant claims that moral judgments must be based on the categorical imperative. He argues for this claim by first exploring the characteristics of human decisions and actions that would make them distinctly moral. He then argues that the only principle of action that adequately accounts for these characteristics is the categorical imperative. I shall discuss Kant's argument by first explaining the characteristics that he thinks make humans moral. Second, I shall explain Kant's categorical …
showed first 75 words of 829 total

showed last 75 words of 829 total
…is governed by rational reflection on what "ought" to be desired by everyone. This is a good criticism and Kant would have a difficult time finding a way around it. The fact that we base our decisions on more than just empirical factors makes his categorical imperative useless in cases that go beyond these factors. We are creatures of intuition and instinct, making it impossible for people to base their decisions solely on empirical factors.