Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals

Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals is one of the central texts of modern moral philosophy and a defining statement of Immanuel Kant's ethical thought. First published in 1785, the work sets out Kant's attempt to ground morality not in custom, inclination, religious command, or practical advantage, but in reason itself. In concise and rigorous form, Kant develops the argument that moral obligation rests upon principles that must be universal, rational, and binding for every free and responsible being.The treatise introduces and explains Kant's famous categorical imperative, his distinction between acting in accordance with duty and acting from duty, and his influential account of human beings as ends in themselves rather than merely means to another end. Though brief, Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals has had an immense influence on ethics, political philosophy, legal theory, religious thought, and modern debates about autonomy, dignity, freedom, and moral responsibility. It remains essential reading for students of Kant, Enlightenment philosophy, deontological ethics, moral reasoning, and the history of Western thought.