Formula of Humanity
E84438
The Formula of Humanity is Immanuel Kant’s moral principle that requires treating every person always as an end in themselves and never merely as a means.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Humanity Formula | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
ethical concept
ⓘ
formulation of the categorical imperative ⓘ moral principle ⓘ |
| aimsToProtect |
freedom of rational agents
ⓘ
moral status of persons ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Critique of Practical Reason
ⓘ
surface form:
Formula of Humanity as an End in Itself
Formula of Humanity ⓘ
surface form:
Humanity Formula
|
| appliesTo | all rational beings ⓘ |
| basedOn | concept of humanity as rational nature ⓘ |
| belongsTo | 18th-century moral philosophy ⓘ |
| centralConcept |
autonomy
ⓘ
dignity ⓘ respect ⓘ |
| contrastsWith | consequentialist justification of persons as means to ends ⓘ |
| coreIdea | treat humanity always as an end and never merely as a means ⓘ |
| ethicalFocus | how persons are treated rather than consequences of actions ⓘ |
| formulatedBy | Immanuel Kant ⓘ |
| groundedIn |
autonomy of the will
ⓘ
dignity of rational agents ⓘ |
| hasInterpretationIssue |
application to non-rational beings
ⓘ
meaning of "merely as a means" ⓘ scope of "humanity" ⓘ |
| hasMoralStatus | categorical ⓘ |
| implies |
duty not to exploit others
ⓘ
duty of beneficence ⓘ duty of self-respect ⓘ duty to respect others ⓘ |
| influenced |
contemporary human rights theory
ⓘ
debates on dignity in bioethics ⓘ deontological moral theories ⓘ |
| languageOfOriginalFormulation | German ⓘ |
| normativeForce | unconditional ⓘ |
| opposes | using persons merely as instruments ⓘ |
| originalTitleContext |
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
ⓘ
surface form:
Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten
|
| partOf |
Kantianism
ⓘ
surface form:
Kantian ethics
|
| presupposes |
capacity for rational choice
ⓘ
moral agency ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Formula of Autonomy
ⓘ
Formula of Universal Law ⓘ kingdom of ends ⓘ
surface form:
Formula of the Kingdom of Ends
|
| requires |
recognition of the intrinsic worth of rational beings
ⓘ
respect for persons ⓘ |
| statedIn | Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals ⓘ |
| usedInArgumentAbout |
exploitation in labor relations
ⓘ
moral permissibility of coercion ⓘ moral permissibility of deception ⓘ moral status of consent ⓘ treatment of vulnerable persons ⓘ |
Referenced by (4)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Humanity Formula