Many of Kant’s contemporaries thought that his insistence on absolute rules was strange.
Example: Imagine that someone is fleeing from a murderer and tells you that he is going home to hide. Then the murderer comes by and asks you where the man is. You believe that, if you tell the truth, you will be aiding in the murder. What should you do?
While Kant believes that any lie “obliterates one’s dignity as a human being,” common sense says that some lies are harmless. E. g. White lies.
Suppose it is held to be absolutely wrong to do X in any circumstances and also wrong to do Y in any circumstances. Then what about the case in which a person must choose between doing X and doing Y