Sapere Aude! The Importance of a Moral Education in Kant's Doctrine of Virtue

Abstract

The misunderstanding of philosopher Immanuel Kant's principle of morality—the categorical imperative—by journalism professionals, professors, and students comes in many forms. To better understand Kant's ethical theory, however, one must go beyond Kant's Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals and study his Doctrine of Virtue: Part 2 of The Metaphysics of Morals; to apply the categorical imperative, one must also understand the importance Kant placed on moral education.

Notes

1. All citations to The Metaphysics of Morals are hereafter cited MM followed by the page number from the Royal Prussian Academy edition. In almost every English translation of Kant's work, these page numbers can be found in the margins or directly in the text.

2. Five misunderstandings that Paton (1964) listed follow: For Kant, goodness is wholly subordinate to duty; the moral law is essentially an imperative; ends of action must be ignored; no place can be allowed to moral feeling; Kant's argument is based on purely logical, as opposed to teleological, consistency (pp. x–xi).

3. For instance, an ethics handout from a Poynter Institute for Media Studies seminar compiled by Bob Steele presents very similar guidelines.