The Kingdom of Ends
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on Immanuel Kant’s concept The Kingdom of Ends, which imagines an ideal society where individuals act according to universal moral laws, treating each other as valuable in themselves, never merely as means to an end. This vision presents a world in which every person chooses to uphold and respect each other’s dignity, creating a shared, moral reality that binds us all.
Inspired by this, I began to envision virtues, qualities like compassion, respect, and honesty, as something almost tangible, like a colorful mist or flowing energy that surrounds us. This cloud-like mist represents all the virtues available to humanity.
We walk through them each day, breathing in these qualities when we open ourselves to them and allowing them to settle within us. Other times, they leave us, disappearing when we close ourselves off. It’s as if by consciously choosing to align with a particular virtue, we allow it to enter, flow through us, enriching those around us in the moment.
In this sense, virtues do not reside permanently within us, we don’t possess them; rather, they are drawn into us by our rational choice to let them in, moving alongside us as we decide to act according to them.
Cultural Inspiration
The inspiration for this vision comes from my own language. In Finnish, the word virtaus means “flow” is used to describe the movement of air or water. This word shaped my understanding of virtues as a dynamic, colorful air mass, like a mist moving around people.
When we consciously decide to act in alignment with a virtue, it’s as if part of that mist flows into us, guiding our actions. When we act against those virtues, they flow away, moving freely through the atmosphere, waiting to settle in someone else who might be open to receive it. Virtues are both ever-present and transient. They exist around us and are accessible to everyone, yet they don’t impose themselves; they require us to make a rational choice to allow them in.
Each of us must decide to align with these virtues, inviting them to flow through us. It’s a dynamic process, where every action becomes an opportunity to embrace these values, or to let them pass by. Seeing the Kingdom of Ends in this light helps me understand ethical actions as part of a collective process. When each of us chooses to act virtuously, we draw from that mist, adding to an atmosphere of shared moral commitment.
When each of us chooses to act virtuously, we draw from that mist, adding to an atmosphere of shared moral commitment. In moments when we fall short, we know that the mist is still there, ready for us to engage with it again when we’re willing to try. This continuous presence of virtues encourages us to persist, reminding us that every ethical choice we make strengthens a moral environment that we share with others.
This perspective makes me more aware of the choices I make. Each decision becomes a new chance to align with these shared virtues, enriching the atmosphere with compassion, respect, or honesty, instead of letting them drift away. It’s an imperfect journey, one that reminds me of the collective power we all hold to shape a virtuous world, moment by moment.
Warmly,
Riikka
