In Kant’s opinion, humans are not merely meaningful creatures in the world. Humans are those who evaluate actions, and the only actions that are morally valuable are the ways they do with consciousness. The foundation of Kant’s moral philosophy lies in these ideas of morality. According to Kant, the Categorical Imperative, which he considered the fundamental concept from which all human obligations may be deduced. However, particularly when it comes to animals, abortions, and criminal punishment, communal moral philosophy might be challenging to understand due to its duality.
The offender is being used for the advantage of others if he is locked up to keep the community secure. According to Kant, one individual “ought never to be dealt with merely as a means subservient to the purpose of another” (Rachels and Rachels, 2019, p.151). Furthermore, rehabilitation is just an effort to shape individuals into the person’s humans desire. As a result, it infringes on their freedom to choose what kind of individuals they will be. Primarily, minor punishments for minor crimes could be sufficient, but major punishments are required for significant offenses, even death. In this sense, while the ethical factors might involve one’s security, in law, communal factors must rely on the severity of punishment and proper punishment rather than changing the individual.
When it comes to determining moral position toward animals, communal moral factors should concentrate on avoiding doing evil actions as well. Kantian philosophy claims that humans are free to utilize animals however they deem fit since not even a direct obligation to stop hurting them exists. However, Kant was against animal mistreatment, not because it would harm the animals but because he was more concerned about humans. According to Kant, “he who is cruel to animals also becomes hard in his dealings with men” (Rachels and Rachels, 2019, p.145). Similarly, while permitting abortions, communal moral philosophy forbids stem cell research (Ogar, 2019). The majority refuses to accept it since it violates the dignity of fetuses.
Hence, communal moral factors are dual since while they might allow one action, they can deem another action immoral. For example, communal moral factors deem capital punishment as permissible since punishment depends on the scope of the offense. On the other hand, attitudes toward animals might be the opposite, though abuse is usually forbidden. Likewise, abortion is not prohibited due to personal autonomy, yet stem cell research violates the dignity of humans.
References
Ogar, J. N. (2019). Ethics surrounding human embryonic stem cell research. International Social Mentality and Researcher Thinkers Journal, 5(22), 1-9.
Rachels, J., & Rachels, S. (2019). The elements of moral philosophy (9th ed.). McGraw Hill.