Kant Flashcards
what did kant say about the starry heavens (quote)
two things fill the mind with awe…the starry heavens above and the moral law within me
what era is kant from?
the enlightenment
what is an absolute moral truth?
by using our ability to reason humans can discover
what did he believe are moral decisions?
a priori
what is a priori?
it is a decision based on reason alone
how are humans different from the rest of creation?
we can use reason to decide how to behave, we can make moral choices. we are in a sense ‘free’. other animals learn behaviour and act on instinct, they cannot decide on the best course of action.
what does kant dismiss?
the hypothetical imperative
what is the hypothetical imperative?
decisions based on consequences
why isnt the hypothetical imperative true moral reasoning?
because the answer will be different depending on the circumstances
if there is one absolute truth what cant you expect? (think hypothetical imperative)
if there is one absolute truth you cant have one set of rules for yourself and expect something different for other people
how did kant form the ‘formula of the form of nature’
he decided that in order to decide how to behave you must allow all others to be free reasoning individuals, just like yourself
what is a categorical imperative and what formula does it come under?
they are moral rules which apply to all people in all circumstances and comes under the formula of the law of nature.
what is universalisation?
when we must ask ourselves “would I want this rule to apply to everyone in whatever circumstance ?”
what did kant say about universal law?
“act only according to that maxim that you will, at the same time, should become universal law”
what example did kant give about this?
the lying promise
whats the formula of the end in itself?
never treat another as a means to an end but as an end in himself
whats The Formula of a Kingdom of Ends
Act as if you are living in a kingdom of “ends”
is kants theory deontological?
yes
what does deontological mean?
Once we have worked out how we should behave, then we should carry out our duty whatever we feel about it. Reason comes before emotions.
what is the summum bonus
it is the highest good, what we can all achieve
as doing good does not necessarily result in justice what does kant think happens?
Kant postulates that there must be an afterlife where justice is worked out.
what are strengths of kant?
We can make unwise decisions when acting on emotion.
It is impossible to predict the consequences so it is good to act only out of duty – you have only ever ‘done the right thing’.
It values all human beings as reasoning individuals like yourself.
It is wrong to use people for your own ends
what are weaknesses of kant?
Consequences do matter – it is wrong to put a principle before a life
Emotion is important – Kant’s duty based system can seem very cold and uncaring
Kant’s whole theory is based on the idea of a fair universe. What if the universe isn’t fair and there is no summum bonum? Then we make sacrifices for no reason !
