Chapter 9 Flashcards
According to Rachels the idea that moral rules have no exceptions
is hard to defend.
According to Rachels it is easy enough to explain why we should break a rule, how?
we can merely point to cases where following a rule would have terrible consequences.
Immanuel Kant believed that moral rules
moral rules are absolute
According to Kant lying is…
lying is wrong in all circumstances
According to Kant reason always…
reason always forbids lying.
According to Kant much of our conduct is governed by
oughts
According to Kant the pattern of an ought is
We have a certain desire, we recognize a certain course of action will help us get what we want, so we follow the indicated plan.
According to Kant hypothetical imperatives
tell us what to do provided that we have the relevant desires.
According to Kant moral obligations
Do not depend on having particular desires.
According to Kant moral requirements are
categorical.
According to Kant to that a moral requirements are categorical means
they have the form, you ought to do such and such
According to Kant hypothetical oughts are possible because
. we have desires
According to Kant categorical oughts are possible because
we have reason
According to Kant categorical oughts are derived from a principle
that every rational person must accept, the Categorical Imperative.
The Categorical Imperative is expressed as follows
Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become universal law.
For Kant a maxim is
When you are thinking about doing something, ask what rule you would be following if you actually did it.
The Categorical Imperative demands that your maxims
2
become a universal law.
be followed by all people at all times.
According to Kant, being a moral agent, means
moral rules hold, without exception, in all circumstances.
According to Kant, lying under any circumstances is
the obliteration of one’s dignity as a human being.
According to Kant if lying became common 2
1 Lying would have no point. 2 nobody would pay attention to what you say.
According to Kant if lying became common
people would stop believing each other.
According to Rachels we are tempted to make exceptions to the rule against lying because in some cases we think
the consequences of truthfulness will be bad and the consequences of lying will be good.
While for Kant any lie obliterates one’s dignity as a human being, common sense says
some lies are harmless.
According to Rachel’s the main problem with the belief in absolute rules is
shouldn’t a rule be broken when following it would be disastrous?
According to Rachel’s what is correct about Kant’s view of absolute rules
1 moral reasons, are binding on all people at all times.
2 create a consistency among our beliefs.
