

A maxim is a succinct formulation of a fundamental principle, general truth, or rule of conduct. In establishing the a priori, rational basis for morality, Kant uses the notion of a maxim. Kant further expanded these ideas in later works, including the Second Critique (aka the Critique of Practical Reason, 1788), the Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone ( 1793), and the Metaphysic of Morals, ( 1797).

The Categorical Imperative shows this cannot be there is a deep flaw in the Golden Rule, one corrected by insisting that actions must be universalizable to be moral, by insisting that morality is not merely a matter of preference or taste. Another example: if I don't mind being lied to, then the Golden Rule implies that lying to others is acceptable. Even if you loathe yourself and think others can (or should) treat you badly, you are not, then, justified in treating others badly. This, although superficially similar to the Golden Rule, is not equivalent to it: there are certain ways people can or cannot be treated, no matter how you feel about it. The above non-contradiction test is also called the Categorical Imperative test, and is the centerpiece of the Groundwork.

Kant's substantive moral positions can be found in other works (e.g. 7 Kant's Argument: Autonomy and Freedomįrom this work, one could go on to establish what is morally permissible and what is morally obligatory.4 Examples, From the Abstract to the Concrete.The book is famously obscure, and it is partly because of this that Kant later, in 1788, decided to publish the Critique of Practical Reason. He then works backwards from there to prove the relevance and weight of the moral law. Kant's argument works from common reason up to the supreme unconditional law, in order to identify its existence. Groundwork is divided into a preface, followed by three sections. Kant offers the argument that the rightness of an action is determined by the character of the principle that a person chooses to act upon, in contrast to the moral sense and teleological moral theories that dominated moral philosophy at the time he was writing. He aspires to lay bare the fundamental principle of morality and prove that it applies to us. Kant examines the core concepts and principles of moral theory, showing that they are normative for rational agents. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785) is the first of Immanuel Kant's mature works on moral philosophy and remains one of the most important in the field.
