Immanuel Kant an influential philosopher of deontological, or duty-based, ethics. Kant believed that actions are given moral value not based on the outcome, but based on the motive behind them, and that the only way to act morally is one that is based on universal laws. There is a series of imperatives that we must respect, despite the result. Kant called them “categorical imperatives”, we can call them moral actions. We do them because we feel obliged, they are our duty, and we do it whether we like the result or not. There are also “hypothetical imperatives,” these are things we need to do to achieve a specific result. Kant states that if we believe that an action is moral we could argue that it is a universal law. I started and volunteered to help my father in his quest towards sobriety because it was my duty. Taking on this responsibility tugged at my heartstrings and led to disappointment. My mother did not support him in his sobriety, but this is your typical codependent in denial. I think it was a somewhat selfish act; I wanted it sober and no hoop was too small to try to jump into. He was selfish, yet I knew I was the only one in his corner willing to fight and do what it took to get him there. My intentions were to allow my father to get sober, it was the right thing to do, and it was my duty, but it was a selfish act. Immanuel Kant, one of the most influential philosophers in the history of Western philosophy. "According to Kant, the only characteristic that gives a moral value to an action is not the result obtained by the action, but the reason behind the action. And the only reason that can give an act a moral value , he argues, is one that arises from universal principles disco...... middle of paper ......about my emotions "We might be tempted to think that the motivation that makes an action good is having a positive goal to reach happy people or to provide some benefit. But this is not the right reason, says Kant. No result, if we achieve it, can be unconditionally good. Luck can be abused, what we thought would bring benefit may actually bring harm, and happiness may be undeserved. “I believed that my efforts would bring nothing but good, however, I harmed myself in trying to help another being. Even if, my intentions were moral, it did not necessarily mean that the outcome would be good. My motivation according to Kant , it wasn't the right kind of motivation: I thought I was helping, I thought I would make myself and others happy, but in reality, my motivations backfired leaving me exhausted, disappointed, and my father still an alcoholic.