Moral Self-Knowledge in Kantian Ethics Essay

In the article titled, Moral Self-k promptlyledge in Kantian Ethics, Emer OHagan discusses Kants views and ideas concerning self-knowledge and the graphic symbol it plays in occupation and virtuous do. OHagan first introduces a tell apart feature of Kants ethical guess which is its recognition of the psycho sensible complexity of human beings. OHagan uses this recognition of mental complexity by Kant to flump into Kants feeling on self-knowledge.Once a basic soul of Kants attitude towards self-knowledge has been established, OHagan then uses Kants ethical possible action to show how self-knowledge dejection be used as a doer to help determine the goodness of an action. The arguments presented by OHagan are logical and clearly supported and verified through the presented evidence. Kant is shown to have recognized the psychological complexity of the human being in recognizing that, judgments concerning the rightness of actions are threatened to corruption from self-interes ted inclination (OHagan 525-537).Kant is saying that that even though an action whitethorn start out as from duty, our internal feelings as human beings can create a beneficial end as a convey for the action, thus rendering it not from duty. Kant also recognizes that our own judgments about us may not be accurate. Moral self- havement is a practice to cave in accuracy for our self-judgments and takes into consideration ones motives for action. OHagan tells us that this chaste practice requires moral self-knowledge which is a form of self-awareness disciplined by watch over for autonomy, the theoretical foundation of Kantian ethics.According to Kant, the first command of the duties to oneself as a moral being is self-knowledge. This is the ability to know yourself in monetary value of whether your heart is for good or evil and whether your actions are pure or impure. Kant describes duties of virtue to be wide duties, in that there is not a clear standard for how one should go a bout performing action for an end that is also a duty. OHagan tells us that Kants duty of moral self-knowledge is the duty to know ones own heart.Kant tells us that moral self-knowledge is quite difficult because it involves abstracting, or taking a non-biased abridgment of ones self. Because we are bound to our own feelings and inclinations, we cannot completely illuminate ourselves from our own bias. The power of self-knowledge is the power to see things in objectivity kind of of subjectivity. The final step of the argument is relating self-knowledge to determining the goodness of an action. OHagan tells us that developing self-knowledge will develop ones self-understanding and will develop guards against self-deception.Using these skills to truly understand ones heart allows for one to know ones motives, and thus practical stance in action. According to Kant, the goodness of an action is determined by ones motives, so the goodness of ones action can now be evaluated. OHagan cl early demonstrates the importance of self-knowledge in Kants theory of ethics and validates its importance by describing application for use of the practice of self-knowledge (OHagan 525-537).