God Who? 2 Flashcards
The thing-in-itself- Immanuel Kant 1781
The important thing to know about a ‘thing-in-itself’ is that there’s nothing to know. You don’t even have a chance?
By definition we can never really experience this world?
Because our brains are pre-fitted with various concepts and filters, the reality that we perceive and “understand” is at least a step or two removed from things in themselves.
Orthodox rationalism- held the view that reason is our chief source of knowledge.
Kant believes knowledge stems originally from experience rather than reason.
How can we experience that one thing is next to another, or that one happens after another, unless we already have concepts such as ‘next to’ and ‘after’ - that is, concepts of space and time?
There is however a real world out there, supplying us with those appearances: Kant calls this the ‘noumenal’ - ‘noumenon’ (as opposed to ‘phenomenal’) world. This is the world in which a thing is just what it is, not what it appears to be; this is the world of the ‘thing-in-itself’.
The perceptible aspects of things that we see, their size, colour, what events they appear to cause is the face they show to us in our space and time, and these are what Kant calls ‘phenomena’.
The categorical imperative.
The Golden Rule - per Kant
Do unto others as you would have everyone do unto everybody.”
Your actions should be based on principles you would wish were universal laws. This is what makes the law a categorical imperative.
Categorical because it covers everyone without exception and imperative because it’s a moral duty.
Kant wanted to counter what we now call “moral relativism”, the notion that what is right or good depends on the situation or context, e.g., ‘the end justifies the means’ methodology I.e., utilitarianism.
Example - ‘Stealing is wrong’, solid consistent and must be applied across the board.
Flaws:-
- Normal humans often react on the heat of the moment.
- The rule may be good but not actually practical.
- It’s not easy to decide what the appropriate ‘maxim’ is (the right rule of thumb). What is general truth or rule of conduct to follow that is correct?
Abraham Lincoln on legal work
The man who represents himself has a fool for a client” is a famous quote by Abraham Lincoln that is often used to discuss defendants who represent themselves in legal proceedings.
Thomas Hobbes - Leviathan 1651
Life without civil society would be ‘solitary, poor’ etc..
Where there is no government or law, men will naturally fall into contention.
‘Every man is Enemy to every man.
Thus the life of man in such a state is, in Hobbes most famous phrase, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short’.
Only a Leviathan-like power that is itself beyond the law - and thus subject to no higher authority - can surely and effectively maintain the commonwealth.
