Imperatives are formulas for reason. Hypothetical imperatives are those instructions that are good, and are a means to getting something. They compel action and tell us how to act in order to get something. An example of a hypothetical imperative is “if I want to pass my exams, I must learn”.
Categorical imperative command actions that is good for the sake of the law itself. If the action is good according to itself, an example of categorical imperative is “Thou shall not kill”. Treating someone as a means to an end is using the person to achieve something, but treating someone as an end in itself is doing something for someone just because it is the right thing to do. Core ethical questions are what guide us in decision making. They deal with what is right or wrong in the decisions that we make. It is important that all people act in respect of one self others, and in strict obligation to others.
There are various schools of thought on various ethical questions. According to Kant, an action is termed moral if it can be made to an acceptable universal law. According to ancient thinkers, such as Aristotle, people ought to be more concerned with virtues and leading virtuous lives. The virtue ethics focus on the individual rather than his actions.
The idea of human cloning is that it has a lot of ethical and moral issues. Human cloning was declared contrary to human dignity in article 11 of the Universal declaration on the genome and Human rights. It still poses many questions as to whether it is ethical or not. First it undermines the concept of reproduction and family, and then creates an individual with identity crisis. At the same time, it can be a chance for infertile parents to have offspring. As we live in this world, let us try to live respecting other people’s dignity and human rights.
