Categorical Imperative Method
November 2, 2008
Categorical Imperative according to Kant is an absolute universal moral obligation. According to Kant, “Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law”. We used cheating on a test as an example in class on Thursday. We need to see whether or not cheating can be imagined as a universal law of nature. Since cheating cannot be a universal law of nature, then we have a duty not to perform the act. If everyone were to cheat on a exam, then why would an exam exist in the first place?
November 3, 2008 at 11:28 am
Your last rhetorical question is an interesting one that actually demands more consideration. In particular, the answer to this question is supposed to explain what you claim in the previous sentence, namely that cheating cannot be a universal law of nature. How does universal cheating lead to the impossibility of universalization?