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It's Kant's basic ethics text; he develops the categorical imperative in it -- "Act only such that your action expresses a universalizable maxim" or "Treat people always as ends, never as means". He takes it that this is merely an expression of what people mean by ethics. His main theoretical goal is to show that belief in God is necessary for ethics.
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"Die Deutschen meinen, daß die Kraft sich in Härte und Grausamkeit offenbaren müsse, sie unterwerfen sich dann gerne und mit Bewunderung:[...]. Daß es Kraft giebt in der Milde und Stille, das glauben sie nicht leicht."
"The Germans believe that power must reveal itself in hardness and cruelty and then submit themselves gladly and with admiration[...]. They do not believe readily that there is power in meekness and calm."
-- Friedrich Nietzsche
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