Immanuel Kant is one of the most influential philosophers in the history of western philosophy. His contributions to metaphysics and ethics have had a profound affect on other philosophical movements as well. Kant's moral philosophy is centered on the notion of good will. He believes good will is the faculty of acting according to a conception of law. However, we are able to control the will behind our actions. In the first section of his book, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant has two main principles which support his belief. First, he says that an action has value, or is good, if it is not merely in agreement with duty but also for the sake of duty. Also, he believes that an action's moral value comes from the maxim that guides the action.
The morality of an action, therefore, must be assessed in terms of the motivation behind it. For example, if two people, Suzy and Sam, perform the same act, from the same conception of law, but an accident prevents Suzy from achieving her goal, she is not less praiseworthy for not succeeding. According to Kant, both Suzy and Sam should be considered equal in the will of their actions. The only thing that is good without qualification is a good will. In order to attain happiness or even be worthy of it, one must possess a good will. He believes that only good will is unconditional, despite all encroachments. Kant's example of the shopkeeper allows the reader to understand this principle more easily. A shopkeeper might do what is in agreement with his duty and not overcharge a child. However, if he is only doing this to conform to the law and not for the sake of the law, then his will is not good. Because he has his own selfish purposes, the "duty" he performs is not sufficient. There is a clear moral difference between the shopkeeper who does it for his own advantage to keep from offending his customers and the shopkeeper who does it from duty and principle of honesty.