I only have two hours to study for tomorrow's math semester due to the three additional essays and two presentations I have to turn in for other classes. I split up 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 notes during the exam, thus getting a guaranteed A. What should I do? Cheating is against the rules of all corporations, institutions and life. It is not considered morally correct because when you cheat you take the easy way out and disrespect those who work hard for the same result, therefore breaking the binding contract of respecting others around you. It's tempting though, as we know the outcome if we don't get caught, and it's mostly an outcome. Immanuel Kant believed that “an action is moral when it is performed out of duty, rather than consequences.” If we were to decide our actions based on what will happen when we perform them, then we would not be acting morally because we would always choose actions that benefit us every time. We would never help others if we did not benefit in return, and we would be willing to harm others if we ultimately achieved a beneficial outcome. What guides our actions is our maxim, that is, 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 cannot be adopted by everyone around us. Using Kant's analytical terms and tactics to define a moral action, I will explain that cheating on an exam is in no way a morally correct action and therefore to act in a morally correct way I should not cheat. Kant's philosophy is shaped by the principles of the Enlightenment which state that... middle of paper... a law according to which individuals should treat themselves and all others never as mere means but always as ends in themselves myself,” thus making the professor and the students in my class part of the consideration of my action as moral or immoral. If I were to give a test, I would not want my students to cheat on it because to me this is disrespectful as I would work hard to educate my students and the test will be a response to knowing the material. Furthermore, if I were another student in my class who worked hard the night before to study and achieve his goal of a good grade, then it would not be fair for another student to get the same grade as me by cheating on the exam. Therefore I would not want my action of cheating to be applied to me, and therefore it would not be correct for me to cheat. Bottom line, I won't cheat.