Immanuel Kant published his philosophy in The Metaphysics of Morals in 1797.

The Doctrine of Right, which deals with rights, and the Doctrine of Virtue, which deals with virtues, make up its two main components. The development of the "categorical imperative" idea and an examination of the effects of seeing people as rational beings in the context of responsibilities are two examples of how Kant's ethical ideas are developed in the work.

The Rechtslehre and the Tugendlehre are the two primary sections of the work. These German concepts are explained as the Doctrine of Right, which deals with the rights that people have or can obtain, and the Doctrine of Virtue, which deals with the qualities they should acquire, in Mary J. Gregor's translation (1991). Rechtslehre can also be translated as the Metaphysical Elements of Justice or the Science of Right (Hastie) (Ladd). It is based on the republican understanding that civil society and the formation of positive law are the roots of political community. The Doctrine of Right is one of the final works of classical republicanism in political philosophy, and it was published separately in 1797.