Kant Flashcards
What was Kant filled with awe at?
“The starry heavens above and the moral law within”
What did he believe the will to be?
A priori
What is Kant’s theory?
Deontological
Why is Kant’s theory deontological?
It is our duty to carry out what reason tells us is “good”
What does Kant dismiss?
The hypothetical imperative
What does Kant call the hypothetical imperative?
Not true moral reasoning
What is the hypothetical imperative based on?
The circumstances and the supposed outcome
What did Kant think true moral reasoning would do?
Reach the same conclusions every time
What does the hypothetical imperative result in?
Sometimes things are wrong and sometimes they are right, Kant believed there should be a fixed answer
What does Kant argue for?
Categorical imperatives that must be obeyed and apply to everyone whatever the circumstances
What does the Formula of the Law of Nature ask people to do?
Universalise their actions
“Act only…
According to that maxim that you will at the same time to become universal law”
What is Kant’s example for the Formula of the Law of Nature?
The lying promise
What is the lying promise?
A man in debt asks his friend to borrow money knowing that he cannot pay him back. If he universalises this he will realise that if everyone did not keep their promises society would fall apart. Therefore it is the man’s duty to tell his friend the truth which can be universalised
What does the Formula of Ends in Itself recognise?
Other people are reasoning individuals
