Philosophical Quotes
“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.”
“Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means but always also as an end”
“In law, a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics, he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so.”
The selflessness as Golden Rule
Selflessness as Golden Rule or moral duty is the ethical premise of deontology. It considers that it is the moral duty of each and every human to act in selfless manner. It is similar to Bhagavad Gita which teaches Nishkam Karma. The understanding of selfless as duty comes due to moral development in human which is referred by Kant as Categorical Imperative.
Kant’s Two Core Principles with Contemporary Examples
| Kant's Principle | Core Meaning | Recent Real-World Example | Kantian Ethical Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The Formula of Universal Law (Universalizability) | Act only according to rules (maxims) that you would be willing to let everyone else follow simultaneously. If a rule destroys itself or causes societal collapse when universalized, it is fundamentally immoral. | AI-Generated Deepfakes in Elections The widespread deployment of hyper-realistic, fabricated audio and video clones to manipulate voter behaviour during recent global elections. | If a political actor operates on the rule, "It is acceptable to manufacture lies to win," Kant demands we universalize it. If everyone manufactured deepfakes, the very concept of reliable information collapses. Trust vanishes, making the liar's goal (to deceive people into believing a fake) impossible because no one believes anything anymore. Therefore, the act is immoral. |
| 2. The Formula of Humanity (The End-in-Itself) | Treat humanity—whether in yourself or in others—never merely as a means to an end, but always as an end in themselves. You must respect people's rational autonomy and never exploit them as mere tools. | Generative AI Scraping Without Consent Tech conglomerates scraping millions of copyrighted books, digital art portfolios, and journalistic articles to train LLMs and image generators without seeking permission or offering compensation. | From a utilitarian view, scraping creates a highly useful tool for the public. However, a Kantian strongly objects. By taking human intellectual and creative labor without explicit, autonomous consent, tech companies are treating creators merely as a resource (a means) to build a commercial product. It bypasses the creators' rational agency and fails to respect their intrinsic value as individuals. |
Examples:
1. Activists like Malala Yousafzai, advocating for girls’ education exemplify the pursuit of wisdom and moral duty to promote knowledge and Justice.
2. Nolan Committee considers selflessness as the first principle out of seven principles formulated for public servants. Mission Karmayogi is also based on moral duty.
3. At philosophical level: Kant philosophy of selflessness as duty has verry strong support from Indian philosophy.
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- Bhagavad Gita: Nishkam Karma as moral duty
- Vivekananda: Selflessness as basis of life
- Gandhi: Emphasis on right means-only right means results into right ends.
4. At environment governance level: The polluter’s pay principle is based on absolute responsibility(The MC Mehta Case in India). Kant teaches ‘moral absolutism’ through his universal principles.
5. Satyendra Dubey: Dubey, an IIT engineer and project director in NHAI, exposed corruption in the Golden Quadrilateral Project. He was later murdered.
6. IRS Officer Shreelekha Mukherjee: She refused to favour influential individuals in tax proceedings despite pressure.
7. Armstrong Pame: He resisted pressure to displace villagers without proper compensation for a road project.
8. Amul Dairy Example: Amul enforces strict policies against child labour in its supply chain.
9. Refusing AI-Based Lethal Weapon Development – Google’s Project Maven Exit (2018): Hundreds of Google employees protested the company’s involvement in AI tools for US military drones, leading to withdrawal from the project.
| Kantian Concept | Meaning in Simple Terms | How to Use in a Case Study |
|---|---|---|
| The Good Will | Doing your duty simply because it is the right thing to do, not for fame, reward, or fear of punishment. | Use this to criticize civil servants who only perform well when media or senior ministers are watching. |
| Categorical Imperative | Absolute moral commands that apply to everyone, everywhere, at all times (e.g., Never lie, never steal). | Use this when a case study asks if a bureaucrat should temporarily "hide facts" from the public to avoid panic. |
| Kingdom of Ends | A hypothetical society where every human being is respected as a valuable individual, never exploited. | Use this as the ideal vision for welfare schemes, human rights protection, and tribal development policies. |
