Being Good without Qualifications
Being Good without Qualifications
Philosophy 100
Jacksonville University
August 20, 2013
Being Good without Qualification Humans cannot help but ask themselves, are the acts of goodness which are seen around them by others really true acts of good will or being good? Good will can be defined as a “kindly feeling of approval and support, benevolent interest or concern,” (Webster’s) and good can be defined as “morally excellent, virtuous, righteous, pious, excellence or merit, kindness, and a favorable character or tendency.” (Dictionary.com) Good can also be defined by the culture we live in and by what is also socially good and or correct. Good can be defined as doing what is right, morally right and with good will toward men. Kant’s “good will” reflects “good” without qualification while all other good acts have qualification attached to them in some way. Kant believes that rational beings have a prior knowledge of what good will is and it need not be based on experience. However, because most people do not act in a purely rational because of the situations which surround them and influence them, is it unfair to judge their good actions as not ones of true good will? If a person, regardless of the knowledge of circumstance and known results, still acts in good faith, why can this action not be considered a moral good will act? Kant reasons that good-will acts have no relation to known situations or results or they would not be true. It is difficult to determine how people today qualify their judgements as good or not. For example the healthcare settings. The healthcare teams make judgements everyday that are based on the circumstances of the individual patients and the conditions of the patient and the settings around them. The healthcare team makes these judgements through good will, duty and the innate desire to care for the patients. Kant gives some examples, but it seems that maybe even in his day, it
Philosophy 100
Jacksonville University
August 20, 2013
Being Good without Qualification Humans cannot help but ask themselves, are the acts of goodness which are seen around them by others really true acts of good will or being good? Good will can be defined as a “kindly feeling of approval and support, benevolent interest or concern,” (Webster’s) and good can be defined as “morally excellent, virtuous, righteous, pious, excellence or merit, kindness, and a favorable character or tendency.” (Dictionary.com) Good can also be defined by the culture we live in and by what is also socially good and or correct. Good can be defined as doing what is right, morally right and with good will toward men. Kant’s “good will” reflects “good” without qualification while all other good acts have qualification attached to them in some way. Kant believes that rational beings have a prior knowledge of what good will is and it need not be based on experience. However, because most people do not act in a purely rational because of the situations which surround them and influence them, is it unfair to judge their good actions as not ones of true good will? If a person, regardless of the knowledge of circumstance and known results, still acts in good faith, why can this action not be considered a moral good will act? Kant reasons that good-will acts have no relation to known situations or results or they would not be true. It is difficult to determine how people today qualify their judgements as good or not. For example the healthcare settings. The healthcare teams make judgements everyday that are based on the circumstances of the individual patients and the conditions of the patient and the settings around them. The healthcare team makes these judgements through good will, duty and the innate desire to care for the patients. Kant gives some examples, but it seems that maybe even in his day, it
References: Lillegard, N., & Fieser, J. (2005). Philosophical Questions. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. Abbott, T. K. (2002, April 6). Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals by Immanual Kant. [Online]. Available: http://www.knuten.liu.se/~bjoch509/works/kant/princ_morals.txt Sayre-McCord, G. (2002, April 6). Kant 's Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals A Very brief selective summary of sections I and II. [Online]. Available: http://www.unc.edu/~gsmunc/phil22/Kantsum.pdf Dictionary.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/good Merriam-Webster Dictionary online, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/good%20will