Remember the steps: Kant’s 1st Formulation of the Categorical Imperative: Act only from moral rules that you can at the same time will to be universal laws. This imperative focuses on the individual. 1. Create a maxim—moral rule—based on the ethical issue. This rule will usually take the form, “I w ill do something (action) in order to achieve something.” 2. Universalize the moral rule created in step 1. This can, but not always, take the form, “What woul d happen if everyone acted this way in order to achieve what I want to achieve?” 3. Consider whether the maxim could be a universal law for all rational beings. In other words, deter mine if the rule self-destructs, is self-defeating, or is a logical contradiction. 4. State your conclusion: If step 3 indicates the rule self-destructs, is self-defeating, or is a logical co ntradiction, the act is unethical. Kant’s 2nd Formulation of the Categorical Imperative: Act so that you always treat both yourself and other people as ends in themselves, and never only as a mean s to an end. In other words, every action must respect the other person as rational beings. 1. Determine if following the course of action identified as the ethical issue uses someone. 2. Draw a conclusion based on step 1
Remember the steps:Kants 1st Formulation of the Categorical
Imperative: Act only from moral rules that you can at the same time
will to be universal laws.This imperative focuses on the
individual. 1.Create a maximmoral rulebased on the ethical issue.
This rule will usually take the form, I will do something (action)
in order to achieve something.2.Universalize the moral rule created
in step 1. This can, but not always, take the form, What would
happen if everyone acted this way in order to achieve what I want
to achieve?3.Consider whether the maxim could be a universal law
for all rational beings. In other words, determine if the rule
self-destructs, is self-defeating, or is a logical contradiction.
4.State your conclusion: If step 3 indicates the rule
self-destructs, is self-defeating, or is a logical contradiction,
the act is unethical.Kants 2ndFormulation of the Categorical
Imperative:Act so that you always treat both yourself and other
people as ends in themselves, and never only as a means to an end.
In other words, every action must respect the other person as
rational beings.1.Determine if following the course of action
identified as the ethical issue uses someone.2.Draw a conclusion
based on step 1
