Considered one of the most important philosophers of modern Europe and an important part of philosophical thought, Immanuel Kant paved the way for current ethical thinkers. It paved the way for philosophers and social behavioral scientists such as Jean Piaget. Kant's theory hinges on his beliefs about autonomy and his formulation of categorical imperatives. Kant believed in autonomy however, knowing that autonomy has flaws, he created categorical imperatives. Autonomy allows us to create our own when it comes to our values ​​and morality. Autonomy is represented by one's beliefs, independence, and governance: acting without regard for anyone else. In contrast, heteronomy acts under the influence of someone else and allows an individual to constantly place blame outside of themselves. Kant believed that every individual was rational and capable of making free choices; therefore it is based on autonomous thinking (Wikipedia, 2009). Kant understood that autonomous thinking in and of itself is defective. To overcome these defects, he created the three maxims known as categorical imperatives. These imperatives state: maxims should be chosen with respect to the universal laws of nature (perfect and imperfect duty), not use one's own or others' humanity as a means to an end, and one should "act so that we can think of ourselves as a member of the universal realm of ends (Wikipedia, 2009.")The first maxim states that we should choose our "codes of conduct" only if they serve perfect/imperfect duty and are good for all. Perfect duties are blameworthy if not fulfilled and are the basic requirements for a human being. An example of a perfect duty is to avoid suicide. Suicide is the end of life and Kant believed that "self-love impels us to better myself... middle of paper... others as we would have done ourselves. If we believe we are justified in murder, then we have shattered Kant's belief that murder does not benefit the universal good. According to Kant's theory we can only position ourselves to benefit the universal good, thus denying ourselves the opportunity to live by any other code denying our religions Kant believed that we could not rely on religion because belief in God cannot be concretely proven. Individuals cannot be bound by written mitzvahs because they are constructed by an entity whose existence cannot be proven and cannot be considered an autonomous being in thought (Kemeringly, 2001.) Without laws to govern humanity, I believe humanity would perish, and I would argue that fully autonomous thinking does not benefit humanity universally. It's selfish and just plain hypocritical.