Kant mean when he uses “humanity” in the moral sense is: our capacity to rationally and autonomously set and pursue our own ends Log in for more information. This answer has been confirmed as correct and helpful.
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In brief, Kant’s moral philosophy focuses on fairness and the value of the individual. His method rests on our ability to reason, our autonomy (i.e. our ability to give ourselves moral law and govern our own lives), and logical consistency.
For Kant, since humans have the capacity for autonomy and rationality, it is crucial that we treat humans with respect and dignity. The third formula states that we act on principles that could be accepted within a community of other rational agents.
This yields one of three formulations of the categorical imperative, and the one that is most worth discussing, the humanity formula: So act that you use humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end, never merely as a means (Kant, 38).
Because this principle resonates with currently influential ideals of human rights and dignity, contemporary readers often find it compelling, even if the rest of Kant’s moral philosophy leaves them cold.
To be morally acceptable, a good will cannot be the only end in itself. If Kant identifies only a good will with an end in itself, then by “humanity” he refers only to beings that have a good will. This would mean that beings lacking a good will fall outside of the scope of the unconditional moral requirement.
The Humanity Formula. Most philosophers who find Kant's views attractive find them so because of the Humanity Formulation of the CI. This formulation states that we should never act in such a way that we treat humanity, whether in ourselves or in others, as a means only but always as an end in itself.
Kant holds that if someone treats another merely as a means, the person acts wrongly, that is, does something morally impermissible. Some accounts of treating others merely as means seem not to yield the conclusion that if a person treats another in this way, then he acts wrongly.
The good will is the only good without qualification. The good will is a will that acts for the sake of duty, as a "good-in-itself." If the purpose of life were just to achieve happiness, then we would all seek pleasure and gratification and hope that it would lead to happiness.
Kant's main themes were these (Kant 2002: 214–45): all persons, regardless of rank or social class, have an equal intrinsic worth or dignity. Human dignity is an innate worth or status that we did not earn and cannot forfeit.
Kant's Formula of Humanity reads: “So act that you use humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end, never merely as a means” (G 429).
Kant holds that if there is a fundamental law of morality, it is a categorical imperative. Taking the fundamental principle of morality to be a categorical imperative implies that moral reasons override other sorts of reasons. You might, for instance, think you have a self interested reason to cheat on exam.
The word "end" in this phrase has the same meaning as in the phrase "means to an end". The philosopher Immanuel Kant said that rational human beings should be treated as an end in themselves and not as a means to something else. The fact that we are human has value in itself.
Second, and even more important, humans have “an intrinsic worth, i.e., dignity,” because they are rational agents - that is, free agents capable of making their own decisions, setting their own goals, and guiding their conduct by reason.
Kant also argued that his ethical theory requires belief in free will, God, and the immortality of the soul. Although we cannot have knowledge of these things, reflection on the moral law leads to a justified belief in them, which amounts to a kind rational faith.
Only actions done from duty in the absence of other incentives have moral worth (according to Kant).
Kant claims that an action has moral worth only if it is done for the sake of duty. Kant argues that there is a single supreme principle of morality. According to Kant, it is always irrational to behave immorally. Kant claims that moral obligations are categorical imperatives.