On The Relationship Between Morality And Happiness In Kant's Philosophy

This essay deals with the central problem about the relationship between morality and happiness in Kant's moral philosophy.Firstly,Kant directly demonstrates that the concept of morality and the concept of happiness are heterogeneous.The moral law which proceeds from pure practical reason is the sole determining ground of the pure will,it precludes any material determining ground such as personal happiness maxim.The pure moral law is supreme,the relationship between morality and happiness are independent of each other and sometimes even fight.This is Kant's strict position.Secondly,every rational but finite being pursues both morality and happiness.Those two ends are finally integrated into the ideal of highest good which as the ultimate end pursued by the pure practical reason.The two elements which constitute the highest good are conceived to be in a necessary connected relationship.It is only the synthetic relationship between them in which the morality is the condition of worthiness to be happy.In order to solve the antinomy of practical reason,the possibility of the highest good is pushed to the intelligible world which is opposed to the sensible world.Kant postulates the freedom,immortality of the soul and the existence of God to ensure the possibility of the realization of the consistency between the supreme morality and happiness which is proportional to one's virtue.Finally,on the basis of the analysis about the relationship between morality and happiness,I want to consider two issues which this theory has to face,then I will make some brief comments on the meaning of this theory.The first issue is about the question of whether happiness can be compatible with the moral law or not.This issue lies in whether the introduction of happiness into the highest good as a part of our moral teleology would endanger the purity of the concept of morality and moral autonomy.In this part,I adopt the position to defend Kant,I assert that happiness can be compatible with moral law under certain condition.The second question is about how Kant solved the problem of the consistency between happiness and morality.It is specifically about some problems existing in the arguments of the practical reason postulates.Generally speaking,all the problems point to whether highest is possible and how it is possible.Although there is a lot of criticism,the necessary connection between worthy of happiness and the enjoyment of happiness lacks the reality,in my opinion,the characteristics of Kant's theory of the relationship between morality and happiness lies in the agent through constantly striving for moral perfection to render himself to be worthy of happiness.The theory of moral autonomy gives the agents who set the moral law and conform to it with great personality dignity,this theory has very strong moral idealism color.