Kant’s moral philosophy states that the ideal moral principle, which he termed the categorical imperative (CI), is one that considers rationality as the standard measure for morality. This principle completely opposes immoral behavior regardless of personal reasoning or interests. This implies that as human beings make their decisions, they should not allow natural desires to get in the way of acting morally (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2011). The movie Gone Baby Gone explicitly exemplifies Kant’s moral philosophy through Patrick Kenzie’s final decision.
Kant’s moral philosophy argues that ethical principles should be developed before observing the behaviors of human beings. His philosophy is founded on three theories. The first theory is universal law, which implies that individual actions should offer an excellent example to other individuals and act as a universal moral guide. In Gone Baby Gone, Patrick felt that returning Amanda to her mother would be the right thing to do, mainly because she was her biological parent. As per Kant’s moral philosophy, his actions can be said to be in line with this theory. The second theory suggests that human beings should treat each other as ends, as opposed to means, to promote equality and enable each individual to be their own person. Patrick’s final decision fulfills this principle in that he treats Amanda as an end rather than a means. He bases his final decision on the fact that he would not forgive himself if Amanda confronted him years later for not returning her home (Affleck, 2007).
The third theory insinuates that all human beings have the power to use reason to decide what is moral and what is immoral despite external influences. Patrick acted as a rational agent when he decided to take Amanda from Doyle and back to Hellen (Affleck, 2007). His reasoning reflects Kant’s third principle about choosing rationality over convenience. Michael Sandel’s Mind Your Motive constitutes several contrasts to Immanuel Kant’s moral concept. Perhaps the three most notable contrasts are as follows:. One, he seems to disagree with Kant’s idea that human beings do not own themselves. While Kant argues that human beings have a moral capacity, Sandel advances the utilitarianism principle that portrays human beings as having the capacity for “pain and pleasure” as well as “suffering and satisfaction..”. Two, Sandel idealizes freedom as human beings’ free will, to act on their own accord. This differs from Kant’s idea of freedom. According to him, when human beings align their actions with their desires, they become more slaves to those impulses rather than free people (Sandel, 2009). His reasoning is based on the fact that the desires that human beings seek to satisfy are merely a product of their choice, yet they still feel the need to fulfill them.
Third, Sandel is of the idea that the consequences of an action determine its moral worth as opposed to the motive and obligation to the moral law. He uses Kant’s example of the shopkeeper to advance this thought. By not short-changing his customers, the shopkeeper does the right thing (Sandel, 2009). In Gone Baby Gone, Patrick’s final decision is evidence that human beings are rational beings who act per the moral law. This goes to advance Kant’s concept that individuals do not own themselves but rather, live to respect the dignity within them. Additionally, Patrick obtains freedom, not by yielding to his natural desires, but by serving his moral duty as a human being (Affleck, 2007). Further, Patrick’s actions are aligned with his obligations to the moral law and are not influenced by his inclinations.
References
Affleck, B. (Director). (2007). Gone Baby Gone [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyT0_wfQR2Y
Sandel, M. (Director). (2009). Justice: What’s The Right Thing To Do? Episode 06: “MIND YOUR MOTIVE” [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be.8rv-4aUbZxQ
Thiroux, J. P., & Krasemann, K. W. (2011). Ethics: Theory and Practice (11th Edition). California: Pearson Paperback.
