I only have two hours to study for tomorrow's math class because of the three extra essays and two presentations I have to turn in for my other classes. I split my available hours and for this exam I could either study for two hours and not get a good grade, or break the rules by using the grades during the exam, thus getting a guaranteed A. What should I do? Cheating is against the rules of all businesses, institutions and lives. This is not considered morally correct, because by cheating one takes the easy way out and disrespects those who work hard for the same result, thus breaking the binding contract of respecting others around one. It's tempting though, because we know the outcome if we're not caught, and it's mostly about success. Immanuel Kant believed that "an action is moral when it is done out of duty rather than out of consequences." If we were to decide our actions based on what will happen if we perform them, then we would not be acting morally because we would always choose the actions that would benefit us each time. We would never help others if it did not benefit us in return, and we would be willing to harm others if, in the end, we achieved a beneficial outcome. What guides our actions is our maxim, or what drives us to choose to do something. But Kant says that this action is not morally correct if our maxim is not a universal law or if it cannot be adopted by everyone around us. Using Kant's analytical terms and tactics to define moral action, I will explain that cheating on an exam is in no way a morally correct action and that, therefore, to act in a morally correct manner I should not not cheat. Kant's philosophy is shaped by Enlightenment principles which state that ... middle of paper ... the law that individuals should treat themselves and all others never as mere means but always as ends in themselves,” which makes the teacher and students in my class within the context of considering my action as moral or immoral. If I were to give a test I would not want my students to cheat because to me it is disrespectful because I would work hard to educate my students and the tests will be a response to knowing the material. Additionally, if I were another student in my class who worked hard the day before to study and achieve their goal of a good grade, then it would not be good for another student to get the same grade as me in cheating on the exam. . Therefore, I would not want my cheating action to apply to me, and therefore it would not be okay for me to cheat. In conclusion, I will not cheat..