KANT- Acting In Accordance With Duty Versus Acting Out Of Duty

Question 1

When can doing the right thing (acting in accordance with duty) have no moral worth

Answer 1

When it has the wrong motive

Question 2

What is Kants example of the shopkeeper acting in accordance of duty

Answer 2

A shopkeeper doesn’t want to rip off customers as he wants to have a good reputation. For kant these are not moral actions as while not ripping off customers is the right thing to do, he is acting in accordance with duty. But he isn’t doing it out of duty for the moral law but for his reputations so therefore his act has no moral worth

Question 3

What is Kants example of the shopkeeper acting out of duty

Answer 3

There is a poorer shopkeeper who is struggling to make ends meet. As he understands that being honest and not ripping his customers off is the right thing to do, his action is carried out out of duty, so has moral worth

Question 4

What does Kant say when you are motivated by both duty and another goal

Answer 4

When both duty and interest coincide it can make the motive of duty less clear to see but as long as you are motivated by duty than the act is a good act