Final answer:
Immanuel Kant posited that the fundamental moral value is good will, an unconditional value based on fulfilling our moral duties. His concept of the categorical imperative serves as a guideline for moral actions, which must be universally applicable. Kant's approach to ethics emphasizes the inherent worth of rational beings and the use of reason to determine moral laws.
Step-by-step explanation:
Immanuel Kant, the influential Enlightenment philosopher, maintained that the fundamental moral value is good will. Kant's ethical system is grounded on the principle that moral actions stem from duty, rather than seeking solely positive outcomes.
According to Kant, good will is of unconditional value and constitutes the decision to fulfill our moral duties, unlike the conditional value of outcomes. It is through our capacity to act rationally and exercise this good will that we demonstrate our inherent worth and uphold our dignity.
Kant developed the concept of the categorical imperative, a central aspect of his moral philosophy, which asserts "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law". This imperative demands that our actions must hold up as a universal rule, a measure for determining whether something is morally right or wrong.
Furthermore, Kant envisaged a Kingdom of ends, where every individual is regarded as an end in themselves rather than a means to an end, thus reinforcing the absolute value of individuals and ethical actions in society. approach to ethics, notably distinct from utilitarian views, was not based on faith in a deity or on calculating utility, but rather, it was entrenched in universal reason and the intrinsic value of rational beings.
Kant believed that moral laws can be known a priori, meaning that humans can discern right from wrong using reason alone, independent of their cultural or religious backgrounds.