Deontology Flashcards
What is ‘summum bonum’?
‘happiness proportionate to morality’
what is ‘the good will’?
the only thing which can be defined as good without qualification
What is a ‘categorical imperative’?
a moral foundation which can be used to judge all actions
What is Kant’s principle of universalisability?
People should act in such a way that their actions could be made a universal law.
What is the kingdom of ends?
A hypothetical state where all people act under the categorical imperative, and are happy
Why does Kant argue it is important to treat all people as ‘ends within themselves’?
because all people have autonomy of thought and reason
How did 20th century scholar Bernard Williams criticise Kant’s deontology?
Decision making will always be personal, meaning morality cannot be universal. Adopting impersonal perspectives leads to losing one’s place in the world, making moral debate meaningless.
How does John Rawls counter Bernard Williams?
Veil of ignoranc
What did Michael Sandel argue in his book Liberalism and the limits of justice?
Justice divorced from one’s own personal beliefs and aspirations makes it meaningless
Why is Sandel’s criticism important?
It highlights the lack of nuance provided by deontology, and also the possible conflicts with individualist society.
Why does W.D. Ross criticise Kant’s theory?
It focuses too heavily on motivation, which is outside of one’s control - we cannot choose why we act, only how.
What was Ross’ solution?
Ross rejected consequentialism for the same reasons as Kant, so suggested a ‘middle way’ through the use of Prima facie duties
What are Prima facie duties?
Important things to be considered when making decisions. they are not ranked, with different ones being considered more or less important depending on context.
What else did Ross reject about Kant’s theory?
He argued morality is not a priori, and one does not know what is right until they are in the situation. Moral knowledge is gained a posteriori, through experience.
What is a criticism of Ross’ theory?
It relies on the acceptance of the moral value of intuition and the self evidently right nature of his prima facie values.
