“There is no possibility of thinking of anything at all in the world, or even out of it, which can be regarded as good without qualification, except a good will. Intelligence, wit, judgment, and whatever talents of the good mind one might want to name are doubtless in many respects good and desirable, as are such qualities of temperament as courage, resolution, perseverance. But they can also become extremely bad and harmful if the will, which is to make use of these gifts of nature and which in its special constitution is called character, is not good. The same holds with gifts of fortune; power, riches, honor, even health, and that complete well-being and contentment with one's condition which is called happiness make for pride and often hereby even arrogance, unless there is a good will to correct their influence on the mind and herewith also to rectify the whole principle of action and make it universally conformable to its end.
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)”

Er Kant ekki að segja að “guðsgjafir” okkar séu hættulegar ef persónuleiki eða “character” er ekki góður?:

“But they can also become extremely bad and harmful if the will, which is to make use of these gifts of nature and which in its special constitution is called character, is not good.”

Veit einhver hvað Kant átti við með “good character”?

Nefndi Kant ekki nokkur dæmi um “ókosti” sem þarfnast “good will” til að leiðrétta?:
“make for pride and often hereby even arrogance, unless there is a good will to correct their influence on the mind”

Hvað gerir hroka og stolt, óeftirsóknaverða eiginleika að mati Kants?

Hvaða markmið hafði Kant í huga þegar hann sagði: “and herewith also to rectify the whole principle of action and make it universally conformable to its end.” ?


Það er vissulega ekki hægt að gagnrýna Kant í svona smáskömmtum, en ég er forvitinn að vita hvað hann átti við hér. Nákvæmlega!