Moral Philosophy: Kantian Duty Versus Nietzschean Values

The Quest for Moral Conduct

From the beginning of time, humanity has sought to understand how to act and how to guide its conduct. This quest necessitates addressing profound ethical issues that have always been central to philosophy. However, philosophers do not hold a unified position on these problems; sometimes, they even offer opposing answers.

Kant's Formal Ethics: A Historical Novelty

Immanuel Kant's ethics represented a significant novelty in history. His formal ethics stands in stark contrast to the various material ethics that preceded it.

Rejection of Material Ethics

Kant rejected material ethics for several reasons:

• They are empirical, as their substance is derived from experience.
• They are hypothetical, meaning they are precepts valid only as means to an end.
• They are heteronomous, meaning they receive precepts from outside of reason itself.

Nietzsche's Critique of Morality

An even more interesting comparison arises when confronting Kant's formal ethics with that of Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche argued that traditional morality, which had come to dominate Western culture, often opposes life itself, laying down laws against vital instincts.

The Unnaturalness of Traditional Morality

Hence, Nietzsche contended that traditional morality is unnatural, as it opposes the free will of individuals who should decide their own rules according to their values (e.g., their intelligence, their passions). He criticized the idea of a "moral world order" as an "absolute guide" for human history. Such a concept, as proposed by traditional morality, is only possible if one imagines a being outside the world, outside of life, in a realm of ideas.

Nietzsche aimed to replace the imposed "you must" (debes) with the self-determined "I want" (yo quiero). This is precisely where Kant becomes a target of Nietzsche's criticism, as Kant defended duty and the pretense of establishing a universal morality.

Kant and Nietzsche: Divergence and Convergence

Despite their profound differences, Kant and Nietzsche do agree on one crucial point: it is the individual who decides their own rules of conduct. Both philosophies underscore the need for personal autonomy in moral decision-making.

Reflecting on Moral Philosophy

In conclusion, for individuals to engage in truly moral conduct, the legitimate values and substantive criteria that should guide their perspective must be clear. Moral philosophy, therefore, offers us diverse answers, helping us to reflect and decide our personal position on these fundamental issues.