A MORAL EXAMINATION OF KANT’S CONCEPTION OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Abstract

This paper seeks to examine Kant’s conception of the human person, which is grounded in moral duty and human value, with an emphasis on respect for individuals. While using the basic principle of the categorical imperativea command with no exception, which states that one is “to act only on that maxim through which you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law”Kant posits that individuals should only carry out actions that can be generalized for everyone. According to him, the human person is a being endowed with dignity and respect, making him equally worthy of respect, a being who occupies a special place in creation, and one whose morality can be summed up in an imperative of reason from which all duties and obligations are derived. The categorical imperative thus becomes the yardstick for determining acceptable moral conduct for humanity.Therefore, the human person is a rational creature that cannot be compensated with another creature or being. The human person thus has the inherent capacity to function as a person on this perspective, and this perspective again disabled people, the unborn fetus, infants and children are recognized as persons, all therefore, needs to be accorded respect. In the view of this fact, rule of law must be in the heart of everyman in our humanly world. This paper employs a qualitative research design, with data sourced from primary and secondary sources of data collection such as books, journals, articles, and the internet. This paper adopted historical, expository, and evaluative methods. The historical method surveys previous conceptions of man from ancient to contemporary time or era, the expository method presents Kant’s notion of the human person in detail, and the evaluative method examines the tenability of his ideas in addressing the problem of dehumanization.Findings revealed that the dehumanization of man has led to the destruction of lives andthe list is endless. While Kant’s thoughts in The Critique of Practical Reason are not absolute in tackling the menace of dehumanization man, but it canbe offeredas a viable framework for addressing thisperennial problem of dehumanization of man . This paper thus concludes that value reorientation must be inculcated in perpetrators of heinouscrime in order to encourage them for the basic need of respect of man at all levels of human endeavors. They should adhere to the basic principle of the categorical imperative, which states that: “act only on that maxim through which you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law,” recognizing that man right from creationwas endowed with dignity and respect.