1.3 Kantian ethics Flashcards
IN PROGRESS
1
Q
what is good will for Kant?
A
- the only truly instrinsically good thing
- having good intentions
- all other things are only good dependent on the situation
- the only thing that matters is that we aim to do the right thing
2
Q
what is duty to Kant and how do we determine what our duty is?
A
- duty is not doing the right thing out of self-interest, inclination or possible consequences (shopkeeper)
- duty is what we rationally work out we ought to do, emotions and possible consequences are irrelevant
- basically hypothetical and categorical imperatives
3
Q
what are Kant’s three formulations?
A
- universal law: is our action something that all people could logically do
- persons as ends: humans are rational and autonomous and we have a duty to treat people as so
- kingdom of ends: imagine we are a part of a law making council in a hypothetical perfect kingdom of ends
4
Q
what are Kant’s four examples of categorical imperatives?
A
- it is wrong to make a lying promise
- it is wrong to commit suicide
- it is wrong to neglect one’s talents
- it is wrong to refrain from helping others
5
Q
what are four examples of applied Kantian ethics?
A
- lying to murderers: the one where the murderer asks if his victim is hiding in the house
- my sisters keeper: the film where a child is born by IVF in order to be a genetic match for her terminally ill sister with kidney failure
- charity: how to determine when to give to charity
- business ethics: overcharging and underpaying
6
Q
what are the three postulates?
A
- free will: we must be genuinely free else there is no moral responsibility
- there is an afterlife: morality requires the summum bonum, perfect virtue must be rewarded with perfect deeds
- God exists: for the summum bonum to actually exist there must be a God who ensures justice in the universe
7
Q
what are three strengths of Kantian ethics?
A
- the principle of universal law seems pretty useful - it has some similarities to the golden rule of religion and treats each person equally
- the use of reason and duty makes it less prone to personal bias
- it respects the intrinsic value of a person in contrast with theories like utilitarianism where people are only instrumentally valuable
8
Q
what are three weaknesses of kantian ethics?
A
- ignoring outcome all the time seems weird such as in the case of the murderer
- it tends to be too abstract and theoretical
- it doesn’t do well in dilemmas where we have to decide the lesser of two evils
- the specificity of maxims (Mill)
9
Q
how did John Rawls develop Kants ideas?
A
- ‘the veil of ignorance’
- justice is whatever we agree to behind a veil of ignorance
- in other words we would have to agree the moral and political laws we would wish to live by before knowing what our position in life would be
- this owes much to Kant’s universal law and treating pesrons as ends
10
Q
Hegel
A
Hegel was very influenced by Kantian ethics especially on the topics of freedom and rationality
11
Q
Henry Sidgwick
A
- British philosopher
- primarily utilitarian
- but he engaged deeply with Kantian ethics in his works especially in terms of rationality and moral duty
12
Q
Christine M. Korsgaard
A
- a prominent figure in contemporary Kantian ethics
- she has developed his theories in the context of personal identity and moral obligation
13
Q
Onara O’neill
A
she applied Kant’s principles to the ideas of justice, trust and international relations
14
Q
Nietzsche
A
- argued Kantian ethics has too much of an emphasis on duty and the categorical imperative
- said that Kant’s ideas were based on a ‘slave morality’ that stifled human potential and creativity
15
Q
John Stuart Mill
A
- said Kant’s emphasis on duty could lead to moral rigidity and neglect the well-being of individuals
- he instead advocated for a more flexible and utilitarian approach
