Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals

[T]he present groundwork is nothing more than the identification and vindication of the supreme principle of morality.'

In the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), Immanuel Kant makes clear his two central intentions: first, to uncover the principle that underpins morality, and secondly to defend its applicability to human beings. The result is one of the most significant texts in the history of ethics, and a masterpiece of Enlightenment thinking. Kant argues that moral law tell...