Final answer:
In Kant's theory, the rights and duties of persons are paramount and take precedence over personal happiness, suggesting that moral actions are determined by duty, not consequences like societal welfare or adherence to divine commandments or social contracts.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Kant's theory, the rights and duties of persons override personal happiness. This concept is deeply embedded in Kantian deontological ethics, where moral actions are considered right or wrong based on their adherence to duty, rather than the consequence they produce such as the welfare of the society or personal happiness.
Kant's framework of ethics posits that there are perfect duties, which are categorically binding and must be observed universally; these duties transcend other considerations, indicating that societal welfare, divine commandments, personal happiness, or the terms stipulated by a social contract are secondary to its prerogatives.