Should I consider the good of others when making decisions, or only my own good? (Under Kant view)
How would you answer this question under Kant’s point of view
Example :
Nietzsche’s answer to the question “Does being an existentialist mean you must also believe
everything is morally permitted?” is the most resounding “yes”. For Nietzsche, there are two kinds
of people: individuals and herd animals. Individuals employ consistent and well thought out style to
become the exact person they want to be. To Nietzsche, this is the ultimate path of a human being
living in the age of the death of god, and anything that might get in the way of this path is less
important. This includes morality. If there is an action that you want to take because it helps you
exert your style and become the person you want to be, then the morality of that action is
secondary. For Nietzsche, absolute freedom is the greatest mark of being an individual and morality
can be a barrier to that.
Nietzsche does have thoughts on the origin of morality and its place in the world. Nietzsche,
who does not believe in god, does not believe that there is a morality that flows from god. Instead,
he believes our sense of morality flows from the society that we live in. While Nietzsche praises
individuals, he also laments our tendency towards the other side of the spectrum: the become herd
animals. To him, humans have a tendency to think about what is best or right for the herd (their
society) instead of what is best or right for them. He believed that one of the primary tools that
traps us in this way of thinking is morality. Nietzsche famously wrote “morality is herd instinct in
the individual”. He is saying that morality is the force that draws us to think of others instead of our
own best interests. When you consider that for Nietzsche such thinking went against the ultimate
goal of perusing individual style, it makes sense to say that for Nietzsche morality should have no
effect on one’s decisions. Thus, in the name of becoming the ultimate version of yourself, everything
is morally permitted.