Immanuel Kant developed a categorical imperative ethical guideline that monitors people's behaviors. Kant was against utilitarianism. According to him, utilitarianism is an invalid ethical consideration. The ethical guideline was referred to as universal moral law that guided the behavior of people in the society. Therefore, the categorical imperative of Immanuel Kant is based on moral law that does not depends on any external motive or end in the community.
According to the categorical imperative, humankind should respect each other act right to avoid offending each other (Lindner & Bentzen, 2018). The guidelines state that when deciding whether an action is right or wrong, it is critical to consider what would happen if everyone decided to do the same actions in society. If the actions will produce a meaningless result, it is morally wrong from a categorical imperative perspective. This means that an individual should evaluate situational factors and outcomes before taking actions or making decisions. Thus, categorical imperative states the unconditional principle to follow despite the natural desires that states otherwise. Categorical imperative emphasizes the use of reason to make decisions for the betterment of society. This means that decisions made are based on the interest of other parties involved. Categorical imperative supports the good of society in every moral action taken. This is essential in making decisions when faced with an ethical dilemma (Donaldson, 2017). For instance, one might decide to copy an exam to score high grades. However, according to Immanuel Kant, this decision is unethical since if everyone decides to do the same, the meaning of the exam is lost. Besides, categorical imperative supports actions that aim at helping others in society.
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To sum up, the categorical imperative is essential in several activities of the society. It encourages individuals to work together in peace while respecting each other for the good of the community.
References
Donaldson, C. M. (2017). Using Kantian ethics in medical ethics education. Medical Science Educator , 27 (4), 841-845. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-017-0487-0
Lindner, F., & Bentzen, M. M. (2018). A Formalization of Kant's Second Formulation of the Categorical Imperative. arXiv preprint arXiv:1801.03160 .
