Happiness Is Not An Ideal Of

This observation comes from the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), where Kant argues that happiness is an indeterminate concept that cannot serve as a reliable foundation for moral duty. Because people differ in what makes them happy, and because the pursuit of happiness is governed by inclination rather than reason, Kant held that a truly moral act must be motivated by duty alone. This view places him in sharp contrast with the utilitarian ethics of his near-contemporary Jeremy Bentham.