Fundamental Principals of the Metaphysic of Morals

Book Excerpt: tospecial disfavour of fortune, or the niggardly provision of astep-motherly nature, this will should wholly lack power to accomplishits purpose, if with its greatest efforts it should yet achievenothing, and there should remain only the good will (not, to besure, a mere wish, but the summoning of all means in our power), then, like a jewel, it would still shine by its own light, as a thingwhich has its whole value in itself. Its usefulness or fruitfulnesscan neither add nor take away anything from this value. It would be, as it were, only the setting to enable us to handle it the moreconveniently in common commerce, or to attract to it the attentionof those who are not yet connoisseurs, but not to recommend it to trueconnoisseurs, or to determine its value.There is, however, something so strange in this idea of the absolutevalue of the mere will, in which no account is taken of its utility, that notwithstanding the thorough assent of even common reason tothe idea, yet a suspicion must arise tRead M