Immanuel Kant's attempt to reconcile materialism and dualist ideas Essay

Immanuel Kant's attempt to reconcile materialism and dualist ideas - Essay Example Kant was in agreement with most of his predecessors who claimed that through analyzing practical reason, one would only deduce the need for any rational agents to adhere to instrumental principles. On the other hand, he also maintained that adherence to the Categorical Imperative, which is a non-instrumental principle, together with the moral requirements, is vital to rational agents. It is for his view that there has to be autonomy in rational will, or freedom in terms of writing its binding law. As such, morality’s basic principle is mainly the freedom that comes with it in terms of autonomous will. According to Kant’s thoughts, the occurrence of self-governing reason among individuals provided effective grounds for holding each one as of equal respect and equal worth. The autonomy of will as expressed by Kant in his description of the groundwork of morality thus questions the impact of materialism in terms of the mechanistic laws that have been developed to govern so ciety, forcing individuals to conform to the already predetermined thought and consequences. As such, Kant believes that such laws inhibit freedom; hence, morality since individuals need to be free to choose to assume accountability. To have a clear understanding of Kant’s view concerning materialism and dualism, it is important to review his thought on moral law and duty. Kant observed that duty respects lawfulness, an aspect that formed its singular motivation. It is important to note that laws or rules establish duties. For instance, the bylaws established by a certain club would spell out the duties that are to be carried out by each of its officers. On the other hand, the state or city laws define the duties that are to be carried out by its citizens. As such, if one engages in something because it is their duty in their capacity, or their civic duty, or as good citizens, then their motivation

Religious Movements of 18th Century America Essay

Religious Movements of 18th Century America - Essay Example The Awakening was the first major religious movement to sweep through the colonies. By 1720, church membership had declined and in many areas in the backcountry preachers and churches were not available (Nash et al., 149). The Awakening was a non-denominational movement that derived its popularity from the belief that anyone could preach the word of God simply by being 'born again' into their faith in Christ. This attracted nomadic preachers and a revival environment that spread throughout the countryside. Because many of its followers were non-traditional and poor, the movement often became a lightening rod for social movements. The movement was able to draw distinctions between the elite and the poor and in doing so became an instrument of political and social reform. The Enlightenment had begun in the middle 17th century in Europe and spread to the colonies by the early 18th century. It was also a religious movement, but believed that man and science could reason the universe and come to an understanding with God. This belief, known as deism, promoted a natural order in the world (Henretta, Brody, and Dumenil, 113).