Nothing can be regarded as good in itself, except a good will. A will is good when it acts solely out of duty, i.e. on the basis of respect for universal moral law. Rational beings are ends in themselves.
- Qualities such as intelligence, wit, judgment, etc. can all be put to a wrong use.
Therefore these qualities are not good in themselves, i.e. intrinsically good.
- It is possible to perform correct actions for the wrong reasons, e.g. being honest out of self-interest.
Therefore a good will is not good by virtue of what it accomplishes.
- One would not be good is one were simply programmed to enjoy performing beneficent actions.
Therefore a good will is not good by virtue of enjoying performing beneficent actions.
In Kant's view, a person is good when that person performs an action not because he or she has any natural inclination to perform the action, but rather because he or she recognizes it as his or her duty to perform the action, i.e. he or she is performing the action out of respect for universal moral law. He considers an action to be a duty when the motives prompting that action can be universalized.
Further, in Kant's view, every rational being recognizes himself as having intrinsic worth, i.e. as being something of value. Rationality demands that one recognize that every rational being thinks of his or her existence in this way. According to Kant, this implies that if I am to think of myself as having intrinsic value, then I must also think of others as having intrinsic value. Thus, if I do not think I should be used merely as an ends to a means, neither should I think that other rational beings can be used merely as ends to a means.
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