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paper 1 moral content > deontology > Flashcards

deontology Flashcards

1
Q

what is a duty - perfect and imperfect

A
  • an obligation that we have to act in a specific way
  • perfect = duty which should never be broken —> dont kill/rape/torture
  • imperfect = a duty which may be broken in some circumstances
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2
Q

what does kant mean when he claims the will is rational and free

A
  • the will = a faculty of the mind like reason and imagination, the ability to make deliberate choices and actions
  • rationality = the will has the ability to make justified decisions
  • autonomy = the will is free to make those choices
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3
Q

what is good will and how is this different to the U conception of goodness

A
  • good will = anything we think is good can be good or bad depending on the context but GOOD WILL IS INTRINSICALLY GOOD - the only thing which is good in and of itself, doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do and no other reason
  • U = extrinsic value in moral good, an action is only good as far as it leads to good consequences
  • D = intrinsic
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4
Q

what is acting in accordance with and out of duty

A
  • in accordance with = doung the right thing but for any reason other than the good will
  • motivation isnt correct so is immoral
  • acting out of duty = doing the right thing purely because it is the right thing to do, right intention so morally good = action
  • shopkeeper example
  • for kant the morally right action is to act out of duty
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5
Q

what is the problem of ignoring certain motives such as love, friendship, kindness

A
  • hospital example - only visitng because they have a duty to do so rather than enjoying the company of their friend or wanting to show support while in hospital
  • actions lack moral significance if done out of duty
  • wouldnt be immoral just not morally significant
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6
Q

what is the distinction between a catagorical and hypothetical imperative and give examples of each

A
  • catagorical - a command which must always be obeyed —> do not lie/steal/kill
  • hypothetical - a command which ust be obeyed if you share the same goal —> do not lie if you want to be treated as trustworthy, do not kill if you want to protect the sanctity of life
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7
Q

why does kant think that all imperatives are always catagorical

A
  • as moral agents, cat imps apply to us unconditionally - simply because we possess a rational will
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8
Q

why does foot claim that not all catagorical imperatives are non moral - rules example

A
  • in a student contract, rules are expressed in a catagorical sense rather than hypothetical
  • these cannot be opted out of just like moral rules
  • so moral imperatives are no different to other imperatives expressed in a catagorical way
  • but they feel different because we are raised to treat them differently
  • foot argues ALL CI are HI
  • you obey the moral rule to be honest if you want to be trust worthy
  • if all imperatives are hypothetical then it is rational to disobey them and we are only obligated to follow moral imperatives if we share the goal they aim towards
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9
Q

according to phillipa foot, if it is rational to disobey moral imperatives then there can be no connection between rationality and morality. what is the implication for deontology

A
  • deontology looses its forces, there is no reason to stick to duties, act out of good will or obey the rules as a result of the CI
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10
Q

what is the first formaulation of the CI —> Universal law formulation

A
  • act in accordance with a maxim that can at the same time make itself a universal law
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11
Q

what is the first of the three possible outcomes of the universal law formulation

A
  • no contradiction —> if there is no contradiction when universalising the maxim then it passes in its original wording and becomes a perfect moral duty
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12
Q

what is the second of the three possible outcomes of the universal law formulation

A
  • contradiction in conception —> if the contradiction when universalising the maxim is a logical one then it fails to pass and its opposite becomes a perfect moral duty —> steal if it brings advantage, lie if it is beneficial
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13
Q

what is the third of the three possible outcomes of the universal law formulation

A
  • contradiction in will —> if the contradiction when universalising a maxim is not a logical one but goes against the good will or undermines your rational self-interest then it fails to pass and becomes an imperfect moral duty —> never develop you talents or help those in needs
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14
Q

what are perfect duties

A
  • contradictions in conception lead to perfect duties
  • duties which must never be broken
  • to break them is to act irrationally
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15
Q

what are imperfect duties

A
  • contradictions in will lead to imperfect duties
  • duties which may be broken but only if needed to fulful a perfect duty
  • result of going against the good will or undermining our own rational self interest
  • breaking them = acting irrationally
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16
Q

why does the maxim “steal what you do not have” lead to a contradiction in conceptions + the perfect duty not to steal

A
  • if this was universalised then everyone would take what others own
  • but this would undermine the concept of property ownershipn so no one would actually own anything so there would be nothing to steal = logical contradiction
  • leads to contradiction in conception leads to perfect duty which can never be broken or we would be acting irrationally and immorally
17
Q

why does the maxim “neglect your talents and do not develop them” lead to an contradiction in will and thus the imperfect duty to develop your talents

A
  • if this maxim were universallised, no one would develop any talents
  • so no one could make things, heal, entertain, protect
  • this just makes life harder
  • so in desiring to be lazy we are underminind our own rational self interest
  • sontradiction in will = imperfect duty to develop our talents
  • can only be broken in favour of a PD
18
Q

what is the problem of universalisability and the implication for deontology

A
  • not all universalisable maxims are distinctly moral —> eat a bar of chocolate on a friday
  • implication = perhaps there isnt a link between if something can be universalised and if it is or ought to be a moral law/duty
  • not all universalisable maxims are immoral —> always give any money you can to the poor - leads to a logical contradiction
  • implication = it is possible to use the first formulation to creat laws/duties that seem to be immoral, these shouldnt be the type of answer morsl theories should come to
19
Q

what is the example for the problem of clashing/competing duties

A
  • example by Sartre
  • during nazi occupation of france in ww2, a man is faced with 2 conflicting duties
    1) stay in france to look after his mother
    2) leave france and his mother and go to avenge his brother in the war
  • implication = it is not clear what the person should do, which duty to keep to, if one is kept to the other will be broken, so doing something immoral and irrational no matter what
20
Q

how might kant respond to the problem of clashing/competing duties using perfect and imperfect duties

A
  • since perfect duties must never be broken, if we are faced with a problem with a perfect and imperfect duty, we can break the imperfect one
  • with Sartres example, it is unclear if both are perfect or imperfect
21
Q

what is the second formulation of the CI - humanity formulation

A

act in such a way as to treat humanity always as AN END and NEVER AS A MEANS
- ends = goals we have
- means = the ways we achieve those goals
- if we treat someone or ourselves as a means to our ends then we are just using them for our own purposes as a selfish tool because we are undermining their rationallity by not giving them the chance to consent their ability to perform reason and not giving the, the chance to make their own decision

22
Q

what is the axeman scenario and what would kant say

A
  • a sinister person with an axe knocks on your door and asks where your neighbour is. is it morally justifiable yo lie about where they are
  • kant = if we lied we would be doing the wrong and irrational thing
  • applying the first formulation to the CI = contradiction in conception so we have a perfect duty never to lie
    so we should tell the axe murderer where our neighbour is

paper 1 moral content (6 decks)

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