Every day we make countless decisions. Some raise moral questions: May I lie? When should I help other human beings? Philosophy asks what guides our actions.
Kant’s answer remains significant to this day. What we ought to do is not determined from outside, but comes from our reason. We can freely decide, independently of personal inclinations or social norms. Moral principles apply to all human beings. His famous categorical imperative formulated this principle: act in such a way that your action could be valid for all.
At the center of Kant’s ethics stands freedom. He calls upon us to leadself-determined and rational lives. In this he turns against the traditional notion that morality must rest upon religious prescriptions. The capacity to decide rationally and freely is what constitutes the human being.