Kant’s Duty-Based Ethics

Immanuel Kant developed duty-based ethics that are based purely on reason. Kant
believed that human beings should act according to a set of principles or laws because
“everything in nature works according to laws” (Abbot & Kant 4) and human beings, being
rational beings, are capable of acting according to laws. As the name suggests, duty-based
ethics require humans to act in accordance with given laws or principles out of duty, not
inclination or coercion. Kant summarizes all the various principles that should determine
courses of action that are morally good in a universal law which states that “Never act in such
a way that you could not also will that your maxim should be a universal law requiring
everybody in these circumstances to do this action” (Deininger 3). Based on this law, the
morally appropriate action in any situation should not be based on reference to consequences
of that action.
I am a strong believer in Kant’s duty-based ethics. Thus, for me, I consider it my duty
to be good to others regardless of whether they will be good to me or not. I find the
consequentialist approach of figuring out possible outcomes or results of a course of action to
be immoral and replete with uncertainties. For instance, before doing good to another person,
the consequentialist approach may require one to figure out various outcomes, such as the
person not being good to them in return because of their reputation or not appreciating their
good acts. These potential outcomes may convince a person not to do good to another person.

Surname 2
Given the difficulty of guessing possible outcomes of every course of action before
acting, I find the consequentialist approach cumbersome and, often, immoral. Kant’s duty-
based ethics provides certainty about the right course of action in every situation. All one has
to ask themselves before acting is: is this action the right one? They do not need to worry
about the possible consequences of their actions. That level of straightforwardness is what
makes Kantian duty-based ethics attractive.

Surname 3

Works Cited

Abbott, Thomas Kingsmill, and Immanuel Kant. Fundamental principles of the metaphysic of
morals. Project Gutenberg, 2016.
Deininger, Whitaker. Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant. Salem
Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2019.