Towards the end of class, we discussed the motive of duty. By definition, the moral of duty is a human action that is morally good not because it is done from immediate inclinations, still less so if done from self-interest, but because it is done for the sake of duty.
In Kant’s book, it says “there are many souls so sympathetically attuned that, without any other motive of vanity or self-interest they find an inner satisfaction of others so far as it is their own work. But I assert that in such a case an action of this kind, however it may conform with duty and however amiable it may be, has nevertheless no true moral worth but is on the same footing with other inclinations.” (pg. 11).
I’m curious to know people’s thoughts on these statements. In the society we live in, do any actions exist that are completely unmotivated by self-interest? Are there any cases of action that demonstrate true moral worth? In society, the question of whether people have ulterior motives for their actions is brought up a lot. Even if an action seems independent of self-interest, many people tend to search for a self-driven motive. Do we live in a skeptic society where the possibility of actions solely independent of self-interest reasons is so rare?
Good will is defined as absolutely and unconditionally good. Even if the situation yields negative consequences, it is still good. Does this idea contradict the previous ideas in any way? Good will takes into consideration people’s motives because something is considered good if the motive for doing it is good no matter what the outcome. How does good will relate to moral of duty?
The question you pose that stuck out to me the most was "do any actions exist that are completely unmotivated by self-interest?" I have wondered about this myself, and have come to believe that no action can be so pure as Kant would deem ideal but that this is not actually an"immoral" or "unnatural" or "unreasonable" thing. Kant addresses the uniqueness of human reason and how this reason must be used to establish within humans universal laws to follow unconditionally with a pure "good will."
ReplyDeleteBut humans also have an incredible sense of individuality. By this I do not mean egotism, but simply singleness of mind. We have come to simply accept and take for granted that we all have a single mind per body. And while this characteristic may not set us apart from other animals, per se, it is something that no idea or concept that inspires action can transcend. No matter how aware of the world a person is or how open, that person still is limited by the single mind and body's viewpoint. This is why I personally think it is completely in alignment with nature to always have a "self-interest." I cannot think of a single action I have ever done that could be purely for the sake of following a law. As long as we are only able to think from one limited viewpoint, we are only able to conceive a sense of "good" and "bad" from that viewpoint and act accordingly. And even simply wanting to be a good person is "self-interested." So perhaps society places too much negativity on the idea of self-interest."
In regards to a "good will," I think that a person could do what Kant says and act according to a certain law, but I don't know how someone could do so without first saying "I want to be good, and I think Kant's way is the way to be good." So this would mean that the person may not be able to have a purely "good will" in the sense that Kant thought possible.
Esha,
ReplyDeleteI must say there isn’t a fixed answer to your question “Do any actions exist that are completely unmotivated by self-interest?” Karissa has a point when she says many of our actions tend to stem from our own personal interests. However, there are also several actions that I believe are not motivated by self-interest. I'll compare two scenarios below:
Scenario 1: A college pre-med student volunteers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, assisting nurses in attending to cancer patients.
Scenario 2: An ex-cancer patient pays regular visits to the same hospital to encourage and to share inspiring words to cancer patients.
In scenario 1, it is possible that the pre-med student may be volunteering because he/she genuinely cares about cancer patients and has their best interest at heart. However, it is also possible that his/her main goal is just to gain some volunteer hours and the needed medical experience without really caring for the patients. The latter is what I would call actions based on self-interest.
In scenario 2, the ex-cancer patient inspires and encourages cancer patients because he/she believes they can also be healed/cured. In this instance, I believe the actions of the ex-cancer patient are purely geared towards the patients and not towards personal interest.