The Universal Law Formulation Of The Categorical Imperative Essay

The Universal Law Formulation Of The Categorical Imperative - Essay Example â€Å"Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end†.This formulation deals with the free will of all persons, which arises from rational action. Thus, if a person’s free will is not rational, then there is no freedom, as freedom is not entirely autonomous. A person’s actions affect others who are around him, and if a person’s free will interferes with the freedom of another person, then that action is not morally acceptable. A master may have a right to his slave. He has the right to own the services of his slave, but if the slave owner feels that he also owns the slave and that the slave is his own property, then he has devalued the slave to a means to an end and not an end in itself. This is morally wrong as it devalues humanity of the other person, in this case, the slave. A person has primarily the perfect duty to preserve hu manity by using it in a manner that is a not a means to an end to themselves or to others. Then, with the imperfect duty, one should always strive to improve their humanity or other’s humanity for the good of all and as long as it does not inhibit the perfect duty.Third, Kant suggests that all rational beings must act as legislative members through their maxim, in the universal kingdom of ends. This formulation when broken down means that a person should treat himself and others both as a means and an end, but mostly as an end in itself.