Evil Quote by Immanuel Kant
“The only objects of practical reason are therefore those of good and evil. For by the former is meant an object necessarily desired according to a principle of reason; by the latter one necessarily shunned, also according to a principle of reason.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Critique of Practical Reason, 1788
Practical reason concerns moral choices between good (desired) and evil (shunned) based on rational principles.
In simple terms: Reason guides moral choices.
Key Takeaway
Follow rational moral principles.
Themes
ethics
reason
morality
Mood
philosophical
serious
Type
theoretical
ethical
When to use this quote
- legal judgments
- personal dilemmas
- policy making
Key Concepts
deontology
rationalism
principles
Questions to Reflect On
- What principles guide your decisions?
- Can reason alone resolve moral conflict?
A Different Perspective
Rigid rationalism may ignore emotions.
![“[I]t is fundamentally false that our search for higher grounds of knowledge, more general truths, springs from the presupposition of an object unconditioned in its being [i.e., Kant's principle of reason], or has anything whatever in common with this. Moreover, how should it be essential to the…” quote by Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1b1/arthur-schopenhauer-226_god_i-t-is-fundamentally-false-that-our-sear_2655847.jpg)
![“Evil cannot be "treated" -- nor should it be. Evil has to [be] confronted and destroyed and it matters not why the evil is in play. Society has no obligation to try to rehabilitate evil.” quote by Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b89/bill-o-reilly-1019_destroyed_evil-cannot-be-treated-nor-should-it-be_3597.jpg)
