Kant's First Formulation of the Categorical Imperative, the Formula of Universal

Kant's first formulation of the Categorical Imperative, the Formula of Universal

Law (Law of Universality), runs:

Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the

same time will that it should become a universal law. (Ellington,30)

This is just Kant stating that he believes morality must be universally applicable to all people, even if we do not want to perform an action. A maxim is a general truth, fundamental principle, or rule of conduct about life or behavior. In order to test if a maxim follows the Formula of the Law of Universality you have to do two things. First you have to create a maxim and determine whether it could be a universal law for all rational beings. Second, one determines whether rational beings would will it to be a universal law. And once it is clear that the maxim passes through both prongs of the test then there are no exceptions. For example, if one willed that the maxim that you should always tell the truth and other rational beings also willed it, then in a situation where you feel if you tell a little white lie, it will not hurt anyone and it may actually spare someone's feelings, would be immoral. This is because Kant believes that the maxims that are a universal law are deemed moral and the maxims that are not a part of universal law are deemed immoral.

Kant believes that if something is a Universal law, then it is a duty. He explains that there are four main cases of duties that we have to our self and to others. The two duties that we have to ourselves are suicide, and the duty to develop our talents; and the duties we have to others is a lying promise and the duty of mutual aid. There are contradictions with each duty that Kant has listed, some of them have a contradiction in conception and others yield contradiction in willing. I am going to talk about the duty of mutual aid and how it yields a contradiction in willing. This is when someone states