Robert Nafso
Philosophy 1510
Paper# 5
March 24, 2014
Kant: Grounding for the metaphysics of morals: Sec:1
In this paper I’m going to be writing about Kant’s Grounding for the metaphysics of morals, which is broken down into three sections. I will be focusing on the first section, transition from the ordinary rational knowledge of morality to the philosophical. Kant believes the one thing in the universe that we can say is truly good, and that is the good will. Kant explains what is not actually “the good will” and how many things for example wealth power, if not with good will can be used for evil.
Kant argues “there is no possibility of thinking of anything at all in the world, or even out of it, which can be regarded as good without qualification, except, a good will. Intelligence, wit, judgment, and whatever talents of the mind one might want to name are doubtless in many respects good and desirable, are such qualities of temperament as courage, resolution, perseverance”(1113). Kant is trying to say that there is one good thing without qualification in the entire universe and that is “the good will”. He is not just speaking of just the human will but any rational will that is good. Kant is not saying we cant think other things through or understand them, he is saying that when we think things through in his way, the only thing then we can believe to being truly good is, “the good will”. So he looks at many different possibilities for what could be good, and he says why they are not actually “the good will”. Kant speaks of many different things that are not actually “the good will”, he speaks of the talent of the mind, and gives “wit” as one of the examples of the talent of the mind. Another he speaks of is intelligence, like being able to think things through and he also speaks of judgment, the ability to judge well, especially when dealing with right and wrong. All these are good things, but if it is done with a bad will, it can lead to hurtful...