Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals: The Good Will

Immanuel Kant lived his whole life in the Prussian city of Königsberg, and he was so regular in his habits that, people said, neighbours set their clocks by his afternoon walk.In this short book he tried to find the one supreme principle of morality, a rule that would hold for every rational being.

“Nothing can possibly be imagined in the world, or even out of it, that could be called good without qualification, except a good will.Intelligence, wit and judgement, or courage and determination, are no doubt good in many ways; but these gifts of nature can also become extremely bad if the will that uses them is not good.It is the same with the gifts of fortune: power, riches, honour, even health and happiness can make a person proud and arrogant if there is no good will to guide them.The calmness of a villain makes him far more dangerous, and far more hateful in our eyes, than he would be without it.

A good will is good not because of what it achieves, but simply because of the willing itself; it is good in itself.Even if, through bad luck, this will had no power at all to carry out its purpose, and with its greatest efforts achieved nothing, then, like a jewel, it would still shine by its own light, as a thing that has its whole value in itself.Its usefulness or uselessness can neither add anything to this value nor take anything away.

Consider a shopkeeper who does not overcharge an inexperienced customer, and keeps one fixed price for everyone, so that a child can buy from him as safely as anyone else.People are served honestly; but that is not enough to make us believe that he acted from duty and from principles of honesty. His own advantage required it.So the action was done neither from duty nor from love for his customers, but only for selfish reasons.An action has true moral worth only when it is done from duty, not merely in agreement with duty.”