Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals

First published in 1785, Immanuel Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals is one of the defining works of modern moral philosophy, an ambitious attempt to discover the principles by which human actions may be judged right or wrong. Kant argues that morality cannot rest on inclination, convenience or the pursuit of happiness, but must arise from reason and a sense of duty that holds universally. At the heart of the work is the categorical imperative: the demand that we act only according to principles we could rationally will to become universal laws.

Compact yet remarkably far-reaching, the Groundwork explores the relationship between freedom, rationality and moral responsibility, insisting that every human being must be treated as an end in themselves, never merely as a means. Its influence extends well beyond philosophy, shaping enduring debates about human dignity, autonomy and the foundations of ethical life. Though challenging in places, Kant’s argument rewards careful reading, offering a rigorous and still provocative account of what it means to act freely and to live by principle.

From the book

“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.”

— Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals

On Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals

“The most influential account of the foundations of morality in the modern philosophical tradition.”

— The Lamp-Post