Immanuel Kant and Ethics Flashcards
German philosopher who lived during the age of Enlightenment.
•He was the major inspiration for German idealism, a movement in German philosophy in the late modern era through his development of Kantianism.
•Work: Critique of Pure Reason and Critique of Practical Reason.
•“es ist gut” (It is good)
Immanuel Kant
An approach to ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves.
• Other meaning: Is at times described as a duty-based ethics.
• Greek words Deon: obligation or duty
• Logos: speaking or study.
Deontology
According to _______, “good will” is the action that remains good regardless of the circumstances.
• The concept of “will” pertains to motivation behind an action that can be controlled.
• Since the result of any action is something that cannot be controlled, the morality of one’s actions cannot depend on their outcomes.
the good will is absolutely good.
Good will cannot be an instrument for one to do something evil.
Kant
is a concept that pertains to the way of
evaulating motivations for a necessary action in a particular situation.
Categorical imperative
“ACT ONLY ACCORDING TO THAT MAXIM (law) WHEREBY YOU CAN AT THE SAME TIME WILL THAT IT SHOULD BE A UNIVERSAL LAW.”
Universality formula
Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always the same time as an end.
The Formula of Humanity
The third practical principle follows as the ultimate condition of their harmony with practical reason: the idea of the will of every rational being as a universally legislating will.
“a person is autonomous only if his choices and actions are unaffected by factors that are external, or inessential, to himself.”
The Formula of Autonomy
Act according to the maxims of a universally legislating member if a merely possible kingdom of ends.
We are to act as though we were in such a Kingdom even though, empirically, we are surrounded by people who do not conform to that Kingdom. Kant thought the moral and historical task for humanity was to work towards the realisation of such a community of mutual regard.
So the Kingdom of Ends is the moral ideal of the PERFECT society, as understood by kant
The Kingdom of Ends Formulation
SUMMARY NA TO ET
Kantian ethics is often thought to be deontological in nature.
Deontology is an approach to ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness actions. What makes a choice right is its conformity with a moral norm.
The morality of one’s actions depends on good will.
Kant suggests that good will is absolutely good. That can be an instrument for one to do something good.
Categorical imperative has been formulated on the basis of the concept of the good will. It requires a human being to act as he or she as wants all other people to act towards all other people. In other words one should act according to the maxim that one wishes other people to follow as were a universal law.
