Where is the line between a moral
duty and other motives when you are a mother?
I am a part time waitress as well
as a full time wife and mom. My days are full of activities whether it is
swimming, play dates, bathes, naps, or lunch the list seems to never end. Even
though everyday is extremely busy, there is nothing I love more than being a
mother. In Chapter 11-4c Inclination, Wishes,
Act of Will, Immanuel Kant explains that when we will something, we issue ourselves a kind of internal command.
What that means is we personally make the decision to not break the law or rule
we have given ourselves. Being able to create that rule you want and stay true
to it is ultimately identified as an act of “supreme moral principle.” A supreme moral principle is the moral
motive that distinguishes the good will from the other motives.
Being a mother brings
me more joy than anything else this world has to offer, however after reading “The Universalist Immanuel Kant” I find
myself wondering if I do things that are more beneficial for me through
activities I provide for my son. Even though bath time and naptime are
necessary for my son, it’s also a time for me to have a moment to myself to
relax and have some down time. I never thought of the activities I schedule for
my son to be more favorable for me than him. In Chapter 11 Section 11-4c titled Inclinations, Wishes, Acts of Will,
Kant defines Inclinations as “Decisions
and actions based on impulse or desire as well as not products of practical
reason.” From Kant’s standpoint in Chapter
11, Section 11-5 Moral Duty he states, “Duty does not serve our desires and
preference but rather overpower them.”
The answer to my
question in my opinion is simple. The line between moral duty and motives as a
mother is my intentions. An inclination would be if I chose to put my son down
for a nap an hour earlier so I could watch my favorite show in peace. This act
is of self-interest for myself only. However if I choose to put him down for a
nap an hour earlier because he is sick and weary this act is purely for the
contentment of him. These are both examples of motives, one being a moral duty
and one being a self-interest motive. Moreover, when it comes to my everyday
life with my son, my intentions towards him are moral motives. I receive no
gratification or have an advantage when doing what is best for my son. My
intentions are morally praiseworthy. According to Kant, in Chapter 11 section 11-5 Moral Duty he states, “My duty can not be
based on what I want to do, what I like or don’t like, weather or not I care
about the people involved.”
I’m happy to know
that how I have been raising my son is a moral duty and always has been, even
before learning about the differences in motives in this section. Not until I
started this post and brainstorming on what question I wanted to work on, did I
realize that never once have I gloated for how well and exceptional I take care
of my son nor find myself doing things differently because it will be beneficial
for me. I will continue to care take of my son wholeheartedly not because it is
my job, not because it’s what is best for him, but because it is my moral duty
and I have a good will to do so.
Word Count: 602
Dibs
ReplyDeletePeer comment by anonymous philosophy student.
ReplyDeleteTotal number of words counted: 602
Spelling errors: Bathes should be baths.
Grammatical errors: None.
Lack of clarity: You did a great job explaining your question and answer. There is no lack of clarity.
Organization of ideas: You organized your ideas very well.
Did the author answer their question? Yes.
Did the author provide a concrete example to illustrate their main point? Yes you provided two example of motives.
How does the author's concrete example illustrate or not illustrate their main point? Your answer to your question is that intentions is the line between moral duty and motives when being a mother. You then give two examples of motives, one is a self-interest motive the other is a moral motive. At last you discuss how being a mother, your intentions have always been moral motives for your son and is a moral duty.
Do you agree or disagree with the author's answer and why? I do agree with your answer because when raising a child you can't go with your own self-interest motive like going out with your friends when your child is sick, you have to go with your moral motive which is staying home and taking care of your child.
What is the concrete example that clearly illustrates why you agree or disagree with the author? The self-interest motive example and moral motive example.
What is your explanation of how your concrete example clearly illustrates your reason for why you agree or disagree with the author? If you raise your child with self-interest motives then your intentions are not for the child, they're for yourself. But when raising a child with moral motives, your intentions are all for the child and not for yourself. Which in my opinion is how a child should be raised.
Nice review Anonymous Philosophy Student.
DeleteI agree with my peer responders assessment to my question and answer. Raising a child with self-interest motives are for your benefit and not your child. Children need to be able to grow, learn and have parents that are more than willing to sacrifice their own hobbies and interests to make sure that the children have the happiest life possible. This example may be on one side of the line between moral duty and other motives, however for me personally this example is valid because I want to give up the things I like to do personally so my son can be happier. I am pleased with the assessment and agree with everything my peer responder said.
ReplyDeleteWhere is the line between a moral duty and other motives when you are a mother?
ReplyDeleteI am a part time waitress as well as a full time wife and mom. My days are full of activities whether it is swimming, play dates, bathes, naps, or lunch the list seems to never end. Even though everyday is extremely busy, there is nothing I love more than being a mother. In Chapter 11-4c Inclination, Wishes, Act of Will, Immanuel Kant explains that when we will something, we issue ourselves a kind of internal command. What that means is we personally make the decision to not break the law or rule we have given ourselves. Being able to create that rule you want and stay true to it is ultimately identified as an act of “supreme moral principle.” <--[Clarification: The supreme moral principle is Kant's categorical imperative, which states that we should act only based on those maxims that we can universally will. This supreme moral principle is what one might call a "meta-principle"--it's a principle about principles. Notice that the Categorical Imperative is about maxims, i.e., principles. So the Categorical Imperative is basically Kant's way of helping us determine what particular moral principles are appropriate or good moral principles. The moral principle that you end up deciding on as a good moral principle, based on the fact that it is a moral principle that passes the test of the Categorical Imperative, would simply be a "moral principle" rather than a "Supreme Moral Principle."]
A supreme moral principle is the moral motive that distinguishes the good will from the other motives. <--[Clarification: It's more so that acting on a moral principle that passes the Categorical Imperative BECAUSE the moral principle of your action passes the Categorical Imperative, is an indication of a good will. This is because, when you act on a moral principle BECAUSE it passes the Categorical Imperative, you are basically saying that you understand that what it means for something to be "morally right/good" is something that is given by pure reason and not by attending to your desires, habits, or the consequences of your actions; it indicates that you are doing something right because it is the right thing to do rather than for any other reason. This is what a good will does, it acts rightly because it realizes that doing so is a duty (i.e., something we ought to do because its the right thing to do)]
Being a mother brings me more joy than anything else this world has to offer, however after reading “The Universalist Immanuel Kant” I find myself wondering if I do things that are more beneficial for me through activities I provide for my son. Even though bath time and naptime are necessary for my son, it’s also a time for me to have a moment to myself to relax and have some down time. I never thought of the activities I schedule for my son to be more favorable for me than him. In Chapter 11 Section 11-4c titled Inclinations, Wishes, Acts of Will, Kant defines Inclinations as “Decisions and actions based on impulse or desire as well as not products of practical reason.” From Kant’s standpoint in Chapter 11, Section 11-5 Moral Duty he states, “Duty does not serve our desires and preference but rather overpower them.”<--[Clarification: Although it's the case that performing a morally right/good action should not involve attending to anything other than what reason provides (i.e., that the principle of your action passes the test of the Categorical Imperative), it's not the case that our inclinations cannot be in-line with the dictates of reason. In others words, for Kant, it's okay and appropriate if you do something good because the act is good in-itself (i.e., passes the Categorical Imperative), and that you also gain pleasure from performing this act. What Kant is against is the idea that pleasure in itself is a good reason for making an act a morally good act. This is especially where Kant and Mill disagree.]
[This paragraph is somewhat unclear. It might be helpful if you can give us a bit more detail in terms of what you are trying to convey here. I know, however, that there are constraints in terms of word length. This comment is just something for you to consider when you write things in the future. Providing detailed explanations are really helpful (for the writer and the reader), including the use of concrete examples and explaining how your concrete examples illustrate your main points.]-->The answer to my question in my opinion is simple. The line between moral duty and motives as a mother is my intentions. An inclination would be if I chose to put my son down for a nap an hour earlier so I could watch my favorite show in peace. This act is of self-interest for myself only. However if I choose to put him down for a nap an hour earlier because he is sick and weary this act is purely for the contentment of him. These are both examples of motives, one being a moral duty and one being a self-interest motive. Moreover, when it comes to my everyday life with my son, my intentions towards him are moral motives. I receive no gratification or have an advantage when doing what is best for my son. My intentions are morally praiseworthy. According to Kant, in Chapter 11 section 11-5 Moral Duty he states, “My duty can not be based on what I want to do, what I like or don’t like, weather or not I care about the people involved.” <--[Yes, this is because for Kant actions that fulfill one's moral duty (i.e., acting morally] are always actions that are done primarily based on the fact that reason (based on the Categorical Imperative) dictates that you should act in that way, and not for any other reason (such as your desires, inclinations, etc.)]
ReplyDeleteI’m happy to know that how I have been raising my son is a moral duty and always has been, even before learning about the differences in motives in this section. Not until I started this post and brainstorming on what question I wanted to work on, did I realize that never once have I gloated for<--[Replace with "about"] how well and exceptional<--[Replace with "exceptionally well"] I take care of my son nor [do I] find myself doing things differently because it will be beneficial for me. I will continue to care take of my son wholeheartedly not because it is my job, not because it’s what is best for him, but because it is my moral duty and I have a good will to do so.
[Overall, besides the one paragraph that could use a bit more in terms of explaining and clarifying your view, this is a well written blog post. I hope my clarification of some of Kant's work also helped!]
Best wishes,
Dr. Mun