Assess the view that kantian ethics does not help with practical moral decision making Flashcards
Kant first essay
What is the intro ?
Kant is a philosopher who beleived that reason governs morality. His ethics are deontological which are ethics focussed on the rigthness and wrongness of an action
what scholars will you use ?
kant, sartre, peter rickman, flecther
what is your view ?
kantian ethics are successful
what is the brief overview of kantian ethics ?
doing the rught thing is our duty as rational human beings. Reason governs morality and this should create harmony in society.
Kant thinks we can discover a universal moral law through reason and it is our duty to follow it.
Kant believes in categoriucal imperitives. ‘Do X’ - gives us specific instruction.
morality cannot depend on our personal feelings so therefore our duty must be categorical.
what is your point in para 1 ?
kant strengthens his ideas with the three formulations
quote - KE is reasonable because formulations take the dignity and equality of human beings very seriously.
universal so everyoe is treated equally
promotes good will which is beneficial for society
what is kants quote for para 1 point ?
‘Act only according to the maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law’
what is the sounterargument for para 1 ?
POU -allows for the universalisation fo ammoral and immoral actions - just because it can be universalised doesnt mean it is right or sensible
the world has become more diverse - what is ethical for one society might not for another
William Frankena -‘There is more to moral point of view than being willing to universalise ones rules’
how will you counteract the counterargument in para 1?
successful cos it treates everyone equally and creates core, absolite moral principles which are easy to apply and benefit society
what is your point for para 2 ?
DUTY
Doing the rigth thing is our duty. We have a duty to look after people.
Axe Murderer example - kant believes its our duty to tell the truth - hopefully the friend would have heard the convo and escaped.
impossible to know the future or what the consequences of our actions will be.
what is the counterargument in para 2 ?
duty may not be the best to use
not practical or possible to act on duty alone - human decision making is more complex
Sartre - clashing duties - e.g. soldier example
Flecther - inflexible as absolutes have to be applied to a situation , irrespective of what we think is rught - we should act on love, not duty. shoudl be teleological nto deontological.
how will you counteract the counterargument in para 2 ?
‘imperfect duties’ - can be fixed by the fact you just need to find a way to fulfil both of them.
Peter Rickman - ‘If our moral sense were merely based on feelings , it would not only vary from person to person, but could also vary within a person according to his state of health and experiences’
