Question

What does Kant mean when he says “Actions which are recognized to be objectively necessary are subjectively contingent?

Answer 1

The philosophy of Immanuel Kant sets the groundwork for the Age of Enlightenment and as such, reason becomes the primary perception for understanding human life. For Kant, reason is also the basis for setting up moral and ethical questions. Thus, actions need to be determined based upon the principle of reason. Thus, will is nothing but practical reason. And when it comes to judging the morality of an action, the action is considered moral not when it conforms to a given duty which has more do to with serving of personal interests ( such as of the monarch) but in terms of objective laws of reason and morality. People may appear to act in a certain way because of a pure demand of reason, yet we can never be sure that they do not have some specific interest or ulterior motive behind their actions which appear to be moral on the surface. Thus, Kant explains this idea in terms of the statement “ actions which are recognised to be objectively necessary are subjectively contingent.”