one is discontent then it is easy to give into temptation and get away from doing ones duty. This is not only very hard to obtain, however, but it comes from inclination, instead of duty. According to him, “…the prescription to happiness is often such that it greatly detracts from certain inclinations and thus makes it impossible for man to make a definite and certain concept of satisfaction of all inclinations under the name of happiness.” That is why man will choose to strive for simpler single inclinations because it seems much easier to grasp and obtain.As one starts to contemplate these ideas the question, “If action from duty eliminates any self interest or inclinations and good will comes from these, then what is left of the will?” arises. To explain this Kant says that the only thing left is universal lawfulness and the principle (maxim) to obey these laws over everything else. These laws tell one how to act in accordance with a simple “rule of thumb” so to speak. The basic thing to remember is that one should only act in a way that could make their principle for the action a universal law in itself. Anything less is not of duty and good will. He does not try to explain these laws and states that it is the job of other philosophers to solve that question. Lastly Kant sums it up by saying, “…the necessity of my action out of pure respect for the practical law is what constitutes duty and that, to duty, every other motive must yield because it is the condition of a will good in itself, than which there is no greater value”. The ideals of the next two philosophers believe that moral character and conduct are what is important in life. Known as Chuang Tzu and Smullyan, these two Taoists have principles that recommend humans to think, act, and live in harmony with nature. Let first a brief explanation of Taoism be given before a deeper explanation of their indivi...
