Full Idea
Kant thinks emotions can't contribute to moral worth because emotions are too capricious, they are too passive, and they are fortuitously distributed by nature.
Gist of Idea
Kant thought emotions are too random and passive to be part of morality
Source
report of Immanuel Kant (Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals [1785]) by Bernard Williams - Morality and the emotions p.226
Book Reference
Williams,Bernard: 'Problems of the Self: Papers 1956-1972' [CUP 1979], p.226
A Reaction
[compressed] If, like Kant, you want morality to be concerned with rational principles, then you will want morality to be clear, stable and consistent - which emotions are not. I'm with Williams on this one.
Related Idea
Idea 24010 An admirable human being should have certain kinds of emotional responses [Williams,B]