SUMMARY
Having critically examined Kant’s duty Ethics and its application to the Nigerian Political system in his moral philosophy, we have so far deduced that man as a social and rational being cannot exist and live without moral principles. So morality applies to all rational beings. The moral law is embedded in the autonomy of the will, thus an individual ought to act objectively and morally. Hence, Kant should be applauded for holding and believing on such a system of universal law.
Kant in his ethics argued and claim that goodwill is the only thing that is good without exception. A goodwill for him is governed by human reason, which is being motivated by duty and never by human inclinations like passion, sympathy, desire, remorse etc. Our actions would be right if and only if it is done out of goodwill which is enshrined in the categorical imperative. The universalizability principle which is one of the formulations of the categorical imperative teaches that one ought to act through a personal maximum that everyone could follow. This principle becomes then a very essential tool towards addressing social cum political problems relating to all that has bedeviled the Nigerian society. Therefore, an action is morally right only when it embodies a maxim that we could will to be a universal law.
From the discussions, we have seen that Kant’s major task was to ascertain universal moral principle whereby, by acting in accordance to these principles, we fulfill our moral duty and when we apply these principles in our political system, it will usher in good governance and expel other vices bedeviling our nation since these principles are deduced by reason, which carry the moral imperative and moral duty. Thus, right action stems from moral duty which are done by rational beings since only rational beings have the capacity and ability of acting according to moral principles. Therefore, it is on this conviction that we discussed Kant’s Duty Ethics as a paradigm and standard of morality for all rational beings.
