Sunday, April 3, 2016
Kant's Argument from Morality for the Existence of the God
Kant's argument from morality grounds itself in the existence of morality. Morality exists if and only if at least one person exists, a person either being an agent or a being that must behave as if it were an agent; since only an end in itself can ground morality, and all other ends are merely instrumental ends for the good of a person, personhood is the only possible ground of morality. Consequently, a person should respect other persons in the same way they respect themselves, qua personhood; this it the categorical imperative, which is the fundamental theorem of morality. Since I am a person, morality exists. Given the categorical imperative, persons should be morally perfect; if obligation implies possibility, then persons can become morally perfect. However, if, as according to Kant, it is impossible to attain perfection given a finite lifespan, persons must be immortal. This requires them to have an eternally morally perfect judge to verify their perfection; this judge must therefore also be omniscient. Consequently, this judge must be omnipotent, and therefore unique.
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