The Metaphysical Elements of Ethics: A Systematic Account of Duty, Law, and Moral Reasoning

If there exists on any subject a philosophy (that is, a system of rational knowledge based on concepts), then there must also be for this philosophy a system of pure rational concepts, independent of any condition of intuition, in other words, a metaphysic. It may be asked whether metaphysical elements are required also for every practical philosophy, which is the doctrine of duties, and therefore also for Ethics.

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was a German philosopher whose work stands at the centre of modern philosophy. His critical philosophy, including the Critique of Pure Reason, Critique of Practical Reason, and Critique of Judgment, reshaped discussions of knowledge, morality, and aesthetics. Kant's ethical thought, grounded in the concept of duty and the categorical imperative, has had a lasting influence on moral philosophy and continues to be widely studied and debated.