Essay #2 Immanuel Kant calls our duties imperative because they are commands for us to carry out our

wills in. Whether a person chooses to accept the standards of politeness or not, according to Kant, people are to be praised due to the past of mankind. He says we have a duty to do the right thing and act according to goodwill. Friedrich Nietzsche views peoples actions as either and idea or a theory for both masters and slaves accordingly. He goes on to explain how a masters idea works for him, but may not for someone else, and that a slaves theory is a code to abide by for life. Nietzsches view is a realistic picture of the world because it reveals the realism of discrimination in the world, and Kant offers the moral way to act through his explanation of good will and maxims. No matter what a person believes, there is some kind of discrimination present in most communities. The world is not perfect and neither are the people who inhabit this planet. Some people claim that racism and discrimination in all aspects is slowly being erased. However, many countries place men in absolute control with women very low in minority. Even in the United States, although racism and sexism are not as bad as they used to be, it still exists and some people will never change their views. To them, this way of life is morally correct. These can be translated to family morals which can show how these opinions will be passed on for generations to come. Kant states that the only absolute good that exists is good will. In his opinion, we as people have a duty to perform composed of an obligation to do the right thing. This is Kants view as the moral way to act. Some people argue that good will is not what everyone wants to experience though. Often times, what is accepted as moral by a majority can be deemed immoral by individuals and vice-versa. Aristotle says that virtue leads to happiness, and virtue is something deemed morally good. Therefore, good will can be considered virtuous which leads to happiness for individuals. As long as good will is in the picture, moral acts are bound to occur. Kant also says that we need to make our own decisions without any exterior motive when acting on a will known as a maxim. The things that alter our decisions of will are morality and other aspects that we see as rational. Some people may argue that in order for a person to commit a moral act, it has to be accepted by the community. Human willing is composed of reasoning using hypothetical evaluation. If something is deemed as human will, it is based on a maxim in order to achieve a goal. Therefore, anything a human wills in his own eyes is rational. This is clearly seen in the case of Martin Luther King Jr. His dream speech came at a time when racism was still highly approved of in the United States. In his eyes, it was a rational and moral thought that men are equal. Although the majority of the country disagreed, this mans rational thought became a breakthrough in history. Kant sees the world in a way that all men are supposed to act out of goodness although not all choose to. Nietzsche sees that masters have ideas that may work for others, and slaves

have theories or rules to abide by until death. Many people have opinions on how live should be lived and how we should treat others. While Nietzsche does a good job at outlining the real world thoughts and views of people, Kant expresses his opinion of how people should be living and making a difference in this world.