Paper Summary:

The paper discusses Immanuel Kant's and John Stuart Mill's systems of ethical behavior and shows their similarities in how both are concerned with the moral and ethical duties of the individual with regards to the whole of humanity. The paper reveals how both theories are incomplete; Kant's "Categorical Imperative" suffers from the contradiction that arises when moral actions engender immoral consequences, while Mill's Utilitarianism fails to provide an unambiguous way to judge individual moral actions.

From the Paper:

"Immanuel Kant, in The Foundations of the Metaphysic of Morals, puts forth a deontological theory of moral action in a trio of formulations called the "Categorical Imperative". It is considered deontological because it is concerned solely with what one "ought" to do, rather than the consequences of action. Thus the determination of ethical behavior is based upon an obligation to act according to a rational principle which is itself universal, absolute, and unconcerned with the consequences. This foundational aspect of the theory is rendered problematic when moral actions create immoral circumstances. If the Categorical Imperative holds all untruths to be immoral, then honestly answering a murderer who requests that one identify the intended victim would be a morally right action that results in a morally objectionable murder."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Kant, Immanuel. "The Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals". Ethical Theory:Classic and Contemporary Readings. Ed. Pojman, Louis P. Belmont: WadsworthPublishing Company, 1989, pp. 230-252.
• Mill, John Stuart. "Utilitarianism". Ethical Theory:Classic and Contemporary Readings. Ed. Pojman, Louis P. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1989, pp. 161-180.

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