MORAL WORTH: By Maxim D'Souza S

Immanuel Kant, a philosopher, classifies the moral worth of an action through the use of two concepts duty and reason. According to Kant, only those actions which are performed for the sake of duty have moral worth. Kant indicates a distinction between 'duty' and 'inclination'. In his view the more difficult the duty the greater the moral value. If a person has inclinations that align themselves to duty, they have achieved a higher moral development. Kant makes it quite clear that if we do good deeds out of natural inclination our actions have no moral worth.
For Kant, the foundation of morality is duty. The factor that causes human to be moral beings is their duty and the factor to be considered in determining the moral of an act is the persons will to follow his duty. A moral action has a moral worth not because of the effect of the action itself but because of the value that the action done according to duty that was set by the society. For Kant, the fact that the action is done only for duty alone is in itself makes the action to contain a moral worth. It refers mainly to duty being implemented through the law that makes an action of moral worth. The moral worth of an action can be better understood through differentiating acting in accordance with duty and acting from duty. Acting in accordance with duty has no moral worth since it is just an act that conforms to duty as guided by self-interest. Acting from duty, on the other hand, is an act that is done because the duty is requiring it. It means that
actions will only have a moral worth if they are performed from duty while those actions that are taken as caused by self-interest that accords with duty for whatever reason, have no moral worth.
Kant believes that an action has moral worth only if it is done out of respect for our moral code. He names this moral action a 'duty.' Kant also believes that in determining the moral worth of an action, we need to look at the maxim by which it was performed. So, we need to look at one's reason for doing an action to determine if it is a duty. If the reason for performing the action is justified, then the action is a duty.
Moral worth involves the exercise of a new power, the power of reason and will. This is a power that arises in us only because our human nature. It is a worth that is supposed to be more central and proper to morality than what belongs to actions merely in conformity with duty. Kant says "Moral worth entitles the action mot merely to praise and encouragement but also to esteem."
Kant says only those actions which are done from duty have a true, genuine, or authentic moral worth. Obliviously Kant does mean that only those actions done form duty are approved by morality or have any value at all from the moral point of view. If an action is in conformity with duty, then it merits moral approval and hence clearly has value from the moral standpoint. Kant says that such an action, when done an immediate inclination is in conformity with duty and deserves praise and encouragement but not esteem.
The moral worth of an action does not depend on any principle of action that needs to borrow its motive from the expected result. So, for Kant, the source of a moral action is nothing but the good will which has universal application in the particular realm.