Metaphysics of Morals

The Metaphysics of Morals

The German edition
Author	Immanuel Kant
Original title	Die Metaphysik der Sitten
Translator	Mary J. Gregor
Country	Germany
Language	German
Subject	Ethics
Published	1797
Media type	Print

The Metaphysics of Morals (German: Die Metaphysik der Sitten) is a 1797 work of political and moral philosophy by Immanuel Kant.

The work is divided into two main parts, the Rechtslehre and the Tugendlehre. Mary J. Gregor's translation (1991) explains these German terms as, respectively, The Doctrine of Right, which deals with the rights that people have or can acquire, and the Doctrine of Virtue, which deals with the virtues they ought to acquire.

Rechtslehre has also been translated as the Science of Right (Hastie) or the Metaphysical Elements of Justice (Ladd). It is grounded in republican interpretation of origins of political community as civil society and establishment of positive law. Published separately in 1797, the Doctrine of Right is one of the last examples of classical republicanism in political philosophy. The Doctrine of Right contains the most mature of Kant's statements on the peace project and a system of law to ensure individual rights.

The Doctrine of Virtue develops further Kant's ethical theory, which Kant first laid out in the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785). Kant particularly emphasizes treating humanity as an end in itself; in fact the Kant's retake of the second formulation of the categorical imperative (e.g. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals) makes possible to deduce duties. The duties are analytically treated by Kant, who distinguishes: 1) duties towards ourselves; 2) duties towards others. The duties are: 1) perfect duties; 2) imperfect duties. Kant thinks imperfect duties let a latitudo: i.e., the possibility of choose maxims. The perfect duties instead do not let any latitudo and determine exactly the maxims of actions.

In the English-speaking world, The Metaphysics of Morals is not as well known as Kant's earlier works, the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals and the Critique of Practical Reason, but it experienced a renaissance in the last few decades through the pioneering work of Gregor.