Answer to Question #264661 in Philosophy for nik

Question

Can one treat the body as merely a means to an end but never really as an end in itself? 

Answer 1

Yes one can treat the body as merely a means to an end but never really as an end in itself. This because according to Kant, he states that the Formula of the End in Itself as follows: Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means but always at the same time as an end. This statement focuses on the sovereignty of an individual where he is considered rational. Everything should be for him or her and he or she must not be for achieving something else for someone else. Immanuel Kant also says that it is immoral to use another person merely as a means to an end and that people must, under all circumstances, be treated as ends in themselves.