kant Flashcards
base religion on …
reason not faith as reason is universal
ao2 based on reason -
people generally do have the same ideas about morality
good will
a good will is held by someone who has the right intention when performing their duty
duty
we should act purely out of a sense of duty
we should leave out personal feelings and desires
it sis deontological
ao2 fletcher and Macintyre
accuses Kantian ethics of being too inflexible
its not easily applicable as it tells you what type of actions are good but n to the right thing to do in particular situations
ao2 Barbara herman
emotions can only lead to the right action by luck
plato link
rationality is the highest form of humanity and must be used to direct social, emotional and animal desires
plato’s charioteer analogy - book republic
2 horses appetite and emotion are controlled by the charioteer reason
freedom
is an essential. part of being human - to be good you must choose in every minute to follow the demands of reason
categorical imperative
a single rational moral principle that is a command to do the moral duty irrespective of the consequences
categorical imperatives 3 principles and the book its in
groundworks
principle of universalisation
principle of humanity
principle of a kingdom of ends
categorical imperatives - principle of universalisation
a person should ‘always act so that the maxim of their action would become a universal law’
categorical imperative - principle of humanity as an end
a rational person should never treat humanity as a means to an end
categorical imperative - principle of a kingdom of ends
a rational person would ‘always act as a law-making member of a kingdom of ends’
categorical imperatives ao2
kant being in favour of freedom and saying that moral agents must obey the CI contradicts each other
foot - what makes CI rationally binding - could just be social conditioning
hypothetical imperative
acting out a duty that is enlightened by the good will
if I want to do x then I must do y
similar to mill
defines a difference between short term personal pleasure and long term greater good pleasure
the only way of justifying moral pbehav your is with reference to some greater good o rsummum bonus
3 postulates
something you must assume to be true to have a basis for reasoning
1) god - to ensure justice is done
2) immortality - we must assume there is an afterlife in which people are rewarded with happiness
3) freedom -to make moral decisions
CI unclear - ao2
it offers 3 versions so fails to provide a robust , clear guidance on complex moral issues
HOWEVER
this is Kant’s intention to remove clear, set rules as it removes a sense of freedom and responsibility
Kantian ethics is unnatural
stocker -n e.g. of visiting ill friend in hospital and saying its because its your duty
williams - its unnatural
a virtuous person can cultivate their emotional reactions so0 that their feelings reliably motivate them to do what’s right
during moral actions you dint think yours imply do right
b. constant ao2
its human nature to consider the consequences before acting
uses murderer at door scenario
constant argues we should lie - this fits most peoples moral intuitions
telling the truth cannot be duty but it depends on situation
KANTS RESPONSE
we cannot control consequences so we cannot b e responsible of them - they cannot be relevant to our moral decision making
hegel ao2
kant overlooks the fact that we exist in complex webs of social influence
we live in a deep connection to other people so to an extent we are responsible for each others actions
