Kant

Question 1

What are the keywords for Kant?

Answer 1

absolutist
deontological
categorical imperative 
hypothetical imperative
a priori moral will
free reasoning individuals 
phenomenal world 
noumenal world
"act only..."
Formula of ends
Kingdom of ends
Formula of nature 
Universalise
Fair Universe
Summun Bonum
Axe murderer
Lying Promise

Question 2

What are Kant’s two examples?

Answer 2

1) Axe murderer

2) Lying promise

Question 3

What is Kant’s whole theory?

Answer 3

Kant was in awe of the “starry heavens above us and the moral law within” and believed this will is a priori moral will. His theory is absolutist as there are absolute moral laws which exist in the noumenal world which we access through reason. He dismissed the hypothetical imperative as it is not true moral reasoning. Therefore Kant argues we must make categorical imperatives he said there are 3 ways to test these: can the action be universalised? (formula of nature); is it using a person as a means to an end? (formula of ends in themselves); and are our actions how society is meant to be? (Kingdom of ends). Kant said, “Act only according to that maxim that you will at the same time to become universal law”.Kant used the lying promise to explain this. John Rawl developed Kant’s kingdom of ends with his idea of the veil of ignorance. We are all free reasoning individuals. Kant’s theory is deontological and he used the axe murderer example to explain why we must do our duty. Kant believes we live in a fair universe and postulates a summun bonum where happiness and virtue coincide but as this doesn’t always happen in life there must be an afterlife.

Question 4

“Act…”

Answer 4

“Act only according to that maxim that you will at the same time to become universal law”.

Question 5

What is the lying promise example?

Answer 5

Kant uses the Lying Promise as an example for why we should universalise our actions. A man in debt asks to borrow money from a friend, knowing that he cannot pay him back. If he universalises this action he realises that society will fall apart as nobody will be able to trust each other’s promises. He is also using his friend as a means to an end. Therefore it is the man’s duty to tell his friend the truth which can be universalised.

Question 6

What is the axe murderer example?

Answer 6

Kant uses the example of an axe murderer to explain why we must do our duty. An axe murderer turns up at your door and asking for your friend. It is your duty to tell the truth (as lying cannot be universalised and is therefore wrong). If your friend is murdered you are not morally responsible as you only ever did the right thing. If however you did the ‘wrong’ thing and lied, and then the axe murderer came across your friend because of your lie, then you would be morally responsible.

Question 7

What is the difference between the phenomenal and the noumenal world?

Answer 7

The phenomenal world is the world we live in however the noumenal world is the world as it actually is and where our a priori moral will comes from.

Question 8

How John Rawl support Kant?

Answer 8

John Rawls develops Kant’s Kingdom of Ends idea with his ‘veil of ignorance’. He asks us to imagine that we were to decide rules for society before we knew our place within it. We would inevitably ban racism or homophobia because we do not know whether we might be black or gay. We would then have to live by those rules regardless of who we were, and regardless of how we might later feel about them.

Question 9

What is the hypothetical imperative?

Answer 9

Looking at the consequences to see whether we should do an action (not true moral reasoning)

Question 10

What are the strengths of Kant’s theory?

Answer 10

+ emotions cloud our judgements and sticking to principles is better
+ The moral value of an action comes from the action itself
+ Dismisses consequences which are hard to predict
+ The formula of end in themselves protects the minority

Question 11

What are the weaknesses of Kant’s theory?

Answer 11

• Acting out of duty is cold and uncaring and not how humans behave
• Kant dismisses consequences but surely they are important especially if someone gets hurt
• Kant doesn’t explain what to do if imperatives clash but WD Ross does say that is prima facie duties clash the most important duty will make itself evident
• The universe being fair is an assumption
• There are occasions when it is necessary to use someone as a means to an end eg) Leah Betts’ parents used a video of her death to show why taking drugs is dangerous