scover the way to happiness will end up envying the common man because they use instinct rather then reason in their lives. The explanation of human life is complicated in Kants’ reading. Compared to all other forms of life, it is rationality that sets us apart from them and it is this ability to reason that makes the path so trying. The purpose of reason, therefore, he states, is to influence the will and this, makes the attainment of ideal happiness almost impossible in this life because as just discussed it takes you further from happiness.Getting back to Kants’ ideas of duty, self-interest, and immediate inclinations, one finds that the completion of duty can be quite deceiving in form. It is possible for one to do an act that might look like it came from duty but actually be of self-interest. Kant gives the example of a merchant who sells his product at a fair price to customers. He does not offer a good price out of the kindness of his heart, however. It is the fact that all his competitors sell the same products at good prices that drives him to do the same for fear of going out of business. Humans also have a duty to preserve their own life but only to a certain extent. Most men, he explains, take the protection too far and therefore they have no moral content although they are being dutiful it is not out of duty but self interest. Many people also believe that helping others and giving is a moral duty, which is correct. It can be misinterpreted just like other morals, however, and also be done of self-interest towards ones immediate inclinations. For example one might get honor or esteem from giving and this gives the act no moral content because it was not done out of duty but rather an inclination to the feeling it gave. The only time that helping others is considered duty is when one has nothing to gain or value from it besides duty itself. Happiness, as stated earlier, is also ones duty because if ...
