Question

Which of the following statements are promoted by the categorical imperative?

1) Each person must use reason to will moral laws.
2) You have a moral duty to choose your actions based on their potential outcomes.
3) Act in such a way that your actions may become a universal law.
4) Don't treat people as a means to an end; treat them always as an end.

Answer 1

Statements 1, 3, and 4 directly align with Kant's categorical imperative, which emphasizes acting according to universally applicable maxims and treating humanity as an end in itself.

Step-by-step explanation:

The categorical imperative is a philosophical concept developed by Immanuel Kant. From the statements provided, numbers 1 and 3 are most directly associated with the categorical imperative.

• Each person must use reason to will moral laws.
• Act in such a way that your actions may become a universal law.

These two statements align with Kant's principle that we should act according to maxims that can be universalized, meaning that they could apply to everyone, and be made into universal laws. This emphasizes using reason to determine the morality of our actions rather than considering the consequences, which is more in line with a deontological rather than consequentialist ethical approach.

Statement 4 also aligns with Kant's categorical imperative, specifically the 'humanity formulation,' which instructs us to treat humanity, whether in oneself or in another, always as an end and never as a means only.

On the other hand, statement 2 reflects a consequentialist view, which Kant did not promote in his conception of the categorical imperative.