Kant's Good Will and Duty
Immanuel Kant's foundational ethical concepts: a good will—the commitment to act from duty and respect for moral law—is the only unconditional good; duty arises from the categorical imperative, the absolute command to act only according to principles one could universalize as laws for all rational beings.
Real World
A nurse who stays late to care for a patient purely out of a sense of professional duty — not for praise, pay, or personal satisfaction — exemplifies Kant's good will: the moral worth lies entirely in acting from duty alone.
Exam Focus
Always contrast 'acting from duty' with 'acting in accordance with duty' — this distinction is a favourite exam discriminator at A-level.
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