Question

1.What is duty, according to Kant?

2. How is the good will connected with duty, according to Kant?

3. What does Kant mean by "acting for the sake of duty" (rather than "in accordance with duty")?

4. What is your definition of duty? What are your essential duties? Why?

Answer 1

1. Kant agued that the goodness of an action depends upon the motivation behind its occurence at the first plaace and not in the goodness of the consequence of that action. A person is of good moral conduct only when the person is motivated by morality. Also, if an individual's desire or emotional component probes them to do something, the action cannot give them moral worth. According to Kant a good person is someone who always does their duty because it is their duty. It is fine if they enjoy doing it, but it must be the case that they would do it even if they did not enjoy it.

2. To act out of good will according to him is to act out of moral obligation and not due to any desire of getting what the consequence of action would bring.

3. Action for the sake of duty simple means carrying out a task because it is meant to be ethical and not for any other reason.