Ought Implies Can

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Immanuel Kant said, “Ought implies can,” meaning if you can’t do something, you have no obligation to do it. This seemed obvious to me, until I tried to put it to practice. My expectations for my behavior often exceed my capacity. I think the problem here is not a fundamental disagreement with the philosophy, but rather an inability to gauge my capacity.

I oughtn’t do things that I can’t do.

So if I find myself trying to go grocery shopping, do a week’s worth of homework, cook dinner, and give my friend a ride across town, I shouldn’t be kicking myself because I couldn’t fit in volunteering at the blood drive without dropping something else.