Kant’s use of reason to justify moral law and declaring egoism as irrational raises a complex issue for me. There are many people who are unaware that they are self-centered, much less ashamed to talk about it. There are many levels of consciousness. Awareness of one’s being “self-centered” is an evolutionary process. I doubt that Kant believed in the evolution of humans from lower forms of life. I think he believed that rational moral law is what separates humans from animals. This poses an intriguing question for me. Did he write about how humans developed their moral laws? Did he consider how humans’ moral laws evolved?
If we don’t show kindness toward others, we are doomed. Our survival depends on compassion and kindness to those who are different as well as to those whom we love. Otherwise, we live in silos and perpetuate tribalization. The tribal mentality is a lower form of consciousness out of which the power to destroy civilizations and the world emerged.
