--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Kant thinks that a free will is a will…" description: "\"Kant thinks that a free will is a will under moral laws and that freedom and the moral law are distinct thoughts that reciprocally imply each other. Fi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/allen-w-wood-2748_free-will_kant-thinks-that-a-free-will-is-a-will-u_743439.jpg" --- # Kant thinks that a free will is a will under moral laws… ![“Kant thinks that a free will is a will under moral laws and that freedom and the moral law are distinct thoughts that reciprocally imply each other. Fichte thinks they are the same thought.” quote by Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/allen-w-wood-2748_free-will_kant-thinks-that-a-free-will-is-a-will-u_743439.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/allen-w-wood-2748_free-will_kant-thinks-that-a-free-will-is-a-will-u_743439.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/allen-w-wood-2748_free-will_kant-thinks-that-a-free-will-is-a-will-u_743439.jpg) > “Kant thinks that a free will is a will under moral laws and that freedom and the moral law are distinct thoughts that reciprocally imply each other. Fichte thinks they are the same thought.” [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Kant sees free will as operating under moral law, distinct yet mutually supportive; Fichte sees them as identical. **In simple terms:** Kant: free will follows moral law; Fichte: they are the same. Key Takeaway Consider how moral constraints shape your sense of freedom. Themes morality philosophy free will Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical academic When to use this quote - ethical decision making - law education - personal moral dilemmas - political theory Key Concepts autonomy ethical law identity Questions to Reflect On - Do moral rules enhance or restrict freedom? - Can free will exist without moral law? A Different Perspective Kant’s view can seem rigid, limiting personal spontaneity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fichte Thinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fichte-thinks-1745353/) [Free will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-will/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-moral-605361/) [Imply Fichte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imply-fichte-5799942/) [Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kant/) [Kant Thinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kant-thinks-3500789/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-law/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Kant thinks we can show that there is no contradiction in supposing we are free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/kant-thinks-we-can-show-that-there-is-no-contradiction-in-supposing/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [Kant thinks of judgment as a special faculty or talent of the mind, not reducible to discursive reasoning but cultivated through experience and practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/kant-thinks-of-judgment-as-a-special-faculty-or-talent-of-the-mind/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [It would be nice, wouldn't it? if we could get comfortable about the problem of freedom. Kant thinks that we can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/it-would-be-nice-wouldn-t-it-if-we-could-get-comfortable-about-the/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [Fichte thinks that the mutual recognition of one another as free beings belongs among the transcendental conditions of self-consciousness itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/fichte-thinks-that-the-mutual-recognition-of-one-another-as-free/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [As with many metaphysical and religious questions, Kant thinks they lie beyond our power to answer them. If you can't stand the frustration involved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/as-with-many-metaphysical-and-religious-questions-kant-thinks-they/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [I think Fichte did take it further than Kant by arguing that we can regard the moral law as objectively valid only by seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/i-think-fichte-did-take-it-further-than-kant-by-arguing-that-we-can/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [“Against Hume, Kant has found a more proper ground for humility: “True humility follows unavoidably from our sincere and exact comparison of ourselves with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-grenberg/against-hume-kant-has-found-a-more-proper-ground-for-humility-true/) [Jeanine Grenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-grenberg/) > [Nothing can better express the feelings of the scientist towards the great unity of the laws of nature than in Immanuel Kant's words: "Two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/nothing-can-better-express-the-feelings-of-the-scientist-towards-the/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [Kant, as we all know, compared moral law to the starry heavens, and found them both sublime. On the naturalistic hypothesis we should rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-balfour/kant-as-we-all-know-compared-moral-law-to-the-starry-heavens-and/) [Arthur Balfour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-balfour/) > [Because we are free we can never be indifferent to the fate of freedom elsewhere. Our moral sense dictates a clearcut preference for these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/because-we-are-free-we-can-never-be-indifferent-to-the-fate-of/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Let your cry be for free souls rather than for freedom. Moral liberty is the only important liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/let-your-cry-be-for-free-souls-rather-than-for-freedom-moral-liberty/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [“The Reformation is one root of the idea of human freedom and autonomy as it is represented in modern democracy. However, while this aspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-reformation-is-one-root-of-the-idea-of-human-freedom-and-autonomy/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Ideally, government is the means by which all the individual wills are assured complete freedom of moral choice and at the same time prevented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/ideally-government-is-the-means-by-which-all-the-individual-wills-are/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [Unless the will is free, man has no freedom; and if he has no freedom he is not a moral agent, that is, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-grandison-finney/unless-the-will-is-free-man-has-no-freedom-and-if-he-has-no-freedom/) [Charles Grandison Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-grandison-finney/) > [I will not become a Napoleon nor an Alexander, and labour for my own ambition; but I will labour for freedom and for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-kossuth/i-will-not-become-a-napoleon-nor-an-alexander-and-labour-for-my-own/) [Lajos Kossuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-kossuth/) ## More by Allen W. Wood > [For the utilitarian, there is a fact of the matter about the good (the general happiness, or whatever conception of the good the utilitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/for-the-utilitarian-there-is-a-fact-of-the-matter-about-the-good-the/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [No theory about our bodies as mere objects of observation and calculation (as distinct from partners in communicative interaction, assumed to be free) can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/no-theory-about-our-bodies-as-mere-objects-of-observation-and/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [Kantian ethical theory distinguishes three levels: First, that of a fundamental principle (the categorical imperative, formulated in three main ways in Kant's Groundwork); second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/kantian-ethical-theory-distinguishes-three-levels-first-that-of-a/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [Some empirical feelings, such as sympathy, are indispensable parts of certain moral virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/some-empirical-feelings-such-as-sympathy-are-indispensable-parts-of/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [We commit not only theoretical error but also moral wrong in objectifying ourselves or other rational beings, ignoring their capacities for free action and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/we-commit-not-only-theoretical-error-but-also-moral-wrong-in/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [Kant certainly was sympathetic with the metaphysical tradition of rational theology that he criticized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/kant-certainly-was-sympathetic-with-the-metaphysical-tradition-of/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [That Hegel's theory is derivative from Fichte's does not prevent it from being strikingly original and of independent value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/that-hegel-s-theory-is-derivative-from-fichte-s-does-not-prevent-it/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [It is sad to witness the persistence in our society of the racism and xenophobia that seems to be a permanent part of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/it-is-sad-to-witness-the-persistence-in-our-society-of-the-racism-and/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [It is rational to choose the right means to your ends to develop very elegant abstract formal theories of rational choice, and then turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/it-is-rational-to-choose-the-right-means-to-your-ends-to-develop-very/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [We can never prove that we are free or integrate our freedom in any way into our objective conception of the causal order of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/we-can-never-prove-that-we-are-free-or-integrate-our-freedom-in-any/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [Kant regards the universalizability test for maxims as focused on a very special sort of situation: one where the agent is tempted to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/kant-regards-the-universalizability-test-for-maxims-as-focused-on-a/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [My own view is that Kant's conception of the duality of the good (morality and happiness, the good of our person and the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/my-own-view-is-that-kant-s-conception-of-the-duality-of-the-good/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [It is actually a nice question how far Descartes himself endorses the monological and metaphysically dualistic theory of mind associated with his name and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/it-is-actually-a-nice-question-how-far-descartes-himself-endorses-the/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [In fact people do not know enough about themselves and what is good for them to form a sufficiently definite conception of the general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/in-fact-people-do-not-know-enough-about-themselves-and-what-is-good/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [Empiricist philosophy always tends to be anti-philosophy (and is often proud of it).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/empiricist-philosophy-always-tends-to-be-anti-philosophy-and-is-often/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) [Explore all 151 Allen W. Wood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) ## More Free will quotes > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Failing to meet your true destiny is a tragic act of free will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/failing-to-meet-your-true-destiny-is-a-tragic-act-of-free-will/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Only when he voluntarily chooses that which he inexorably must do, has man any free will at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-when-he-voluntarily-chooses-that-which-he-inexorably-must-do-has/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The goal of the Creator is for each entity to make a conscious choice to again seek Oneness, out of our own free will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilcock/the-goal-of-the-creator-is-for-each-entity-to-make-a-conscious-choice/) [David Wilcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilcock/) > [“The answer to the question raised in the title of this essay - Is salvation a matter of divine determination or human responsibility? -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layton-talbert/the-answer-to-the-question-raised-in-the-title-of-this-essay-is/) [Layton Talbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layton-talbert/) > [“Mastema prefers absolutes. He wants fences on the world and everything in its place, neat and tidy as a churchyard garden. God is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirby-crow/mastema-prefers-absolutes-he-wants-fences-on-the-world-and-everything/) [Kirby Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirby-crow/) > [“There is a big park in the middle of the locality. Surrounded by at least 50 houses. That those residents got to live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-paula/there-is-a-big-park-in-the-middle-of-the-locality-surrounded-by-at/) [Andy Paula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-paula/) > [I believe in free will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessa-crispin/i-believe-in-free-will/) [Jessa Crispin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessa-crispin/) > [“Most people live life on the path we set for them. Too afraid to explore any other. But once in a while people like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-adjustment-bureau/most-people-live-life-on-the-path-we-set-for-them-too-afraid-to/) [The Adjustment Bureau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-adjustment-bureau/) > [They either attach themselves to God's will, which results in their continuous progress, improvement and advancement, or they oppose God's will, are justly subjected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-palamas/they-either-attach-themselves-to-god-s-will-which-results-in-their/) [Gregory Palamas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-palamas/) > [I know we can each do something, however small that act may seem to be. We can pay an honest tithe and give our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/i-know-we-can-each-do-something-however-small-that-act-may-seem-to-be/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [“We are built to desire free will and to choose our own destiny. It's not about being right or wrong; it's about the celebration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deiamor-verus/we-are-built-to-desire-free-will-and-to-choose-our-own-destiny-it-s/) [DeiAmor Verus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deiamor-verus/) > [Your true nature doesn't come out. 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