Desire Based On Principle:a Study Of Kant’s Theory Of Moral Feelings

At present,the academic circle pays more attention to Kant’s rational tradition,while the research on moral feelings theory is relatively weak.Within the rationalist school,Kant was criticized as "empty formalism",while virtue ethicists and emotivists refuted that Kant ignored virtue and emotion,which made Kant’s moral theory fall into a seemingly stiff and rigid awkward situation.Therefore,it is of great theoretical significance to systematically explore Kant’s discourse on moral feelings.Centering on this thesis,this paper first demonstrates the perspective transformation of the relation between virtue and moral feelings in Kant’s perspective.Kant absorbed the thought resources of classical virtue ethics and moral sense school and upgraded them in the field of rationalism.Compared with personal quality and sensuous feelings,Kant’s virtue is the moral intention to follow the principle,including rational desire,and its concrete form is obligation,which then stimulates moral feelings.This determines that the moral feelings should be bounded by moral obligation,so the moral feelings have the dimension of rational principle.At the same time,they are rooted in natural endowments and promotes the landing of principle.Therefore,Kant standardizes and enriches the connotation of moral feelings.On this basis,this paper will explain Kant’s moral feelings from four aspects.The first is the feeling of respect,respect for the law can be divided into two stages,that is,the subject from passive acceptance to active interest,which reflects connection and reconciliation of the principle and the norm.Respecting the law is defending the dignity of the human nature when we realize that the law comes from our own nature.The second is conscience,which originates from the moral obligation of self-perfection.Conscience constructs a moral court within the mind,conducting the judgment of practical reason;in the outward behavior regulates moral behavior and leads us to good.In order to protect conscience,we need to carry out a revolution of mind and spiritual cultivation.The third is love.We have a moral duty to promote the happiness of others,which is the purpose of practical love.It is based on respect for principle and is an intellectually bias feeling.To inspire love,we cultivate the habit of freedom in doing good out of duty.Finally,friendship is the moral feeling in the ethical community.The social tendency of human urges people to interact with each other,and eventually human beings will move towards ethical community.Friendship among its members is a combination of love and respect,the same moral disposition among friends.In order to cultivate friendship,we need to have sincere communication and pursue the purpose of good together.Respect is a general moral feeling that inspires conscience,love and friendship;the last three are specific feelings,showing different aspects of moral feelings respectively.These four kinds of feelings together constitute Kant’s moral feeling system.On the one hand,they are based on principle and inspired by virtue;on the other hand,they force the landing of virtue obligations and principle.Therefore,for promoting moral perfection,desire and feelings based on principle are indispensable.