The Unyielding Compass: The Role of Will in Moral Action (Duty)

The question of how we determine right from wrong, and what compels us to act morally, lies at the heart of philosophical inquiry. Central to this discussion is the profound role of the will in moral action, particularly when guided by the concept of duty. This article explores how our faculty of choice, our will, becomes the primary engine for ethical conduct, shaping our understanding of good and evil and dictating our adherence to moral obligations. Ultimately, it is the will, in its purest form, that Kant argued stands as the sole unconditionally good thing in the universe.

The Will: Architect of Moral Choice

At its core, the will is our capacity to choose, to deliberate, and to act based on reason or desire. In the realm of ethics, it's the faculty that translates moral principles into concrete actions. Without the will, moral theories would remain abstract ideals, incapable of influencing human behavior.

  • Defining the Will: The power of conscious choice and decision.
  • Defining Duty: A moral or legal obligation; a compelling force to act in a certain way, often irrespective of personal inclination.

Historical Trajectories of Will and Duty

Philosophers throughout history, from the ancient Greeks to Enlightenment thinkers, have grappled with the intricate relationship between will and duty. Their insights, often found within the Great Books of the Western World, illuminate the development of these concepts.

Ancient Foundations: Reason and Choice

  • Plato and Aristotle: While not using "duty" in the strict Kantian sense, both recognized the role of the rational part of the soul (the will, or prohairesis for Aristotle – deliberate choice) in guiding actions towards the good. For Aristotle, virtuous action was a matter of habitual choice, aligning one's will with reason to achieve eudaimonia (flourishing). The choice to act virtuously, to hit the "mean," was a willed act.
  • Stoicism: Emphasized living in accordance with nature and reason, where one's duty was to accept what is beyond one's control and to act virtuously in what one could control. The will's role was to align itself with the universal rational order.

Medieval Reflections: Free Will and Divine Command

  • Augustine of Hippo: Explored the profound implications of free will in the context of divine grace and original sin. For Augustine, the will's capacity to choose good and evil was fundamental to human moral responsibility, even when struggling against temptation. Our duty to God stemmed from this willed choice.
  • Thomas Aquinas: Integrated Aristotelian thought with Christian theology, emphasizing that the will, guided by intellect, chooses actions directed towards the good. The moral law (natural law, divine law) provided the framework, and the will's role was to conform to it.

The Enlightenment's Pinnacle: Kant and the Good Will

It is with Immanuel Kant that the role of the will in moral action, specifically tied to duty, receives its most rigorous and influential articulation. In his Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals and Critique of Practical Reason, Kant posits a radical idea: the only thing truly good without qualification is a good will.

Kant's Core Tenets on Will and Duty:

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Video by: The School of Life

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