Kant's Moral Argument

Question 0

when and where was kant born?

Answer 0

1725 in Russia

Question 1

where did kant write his moral argument?

Answer 1

in his book called the “critique of pure reason”

Question 2

what implies can?

Answer 2

OUGHT IMPLIES CAN

Question 3

if we can do something….

Answer 3

we should do it

Question 4

what is the problem with summum bonum?

Answer 4

may not be achievable in this lifetime - must be achieved in eternity

Question 5

what must we do to achieve summum bonum?

Answer 5

we must act morally and have the right intentions

Question 6

what may we strive for?

Answer 6

virtue and happiness

Question 7

what must there be?

Answer 7

a creator

Question 8

what must the creator have the ability to do?

Answer 8

bring moral worth and power together

Question 9

what didn’t kant regard the MA as?

Answer 9

an argument for the existence of god

Question 10

what did kant believe about god’s existence?

Answer 10

that god’s existence could only be established through faith

Question 11

what did kant say people universally agree?

Answer 11

that some actions are right and wrong no matter what the culture/time

Question 12

what does the fact that people universally agree show proof of?

Answer 12

of an objective moral law that everyone knows about

Question 13

aswell as our awareness of the objective moral law, what do we feel towards it?

Answer 13

we feel an obligation towards it, because it’s the rational thing to do

Question 14

what does applying moral reason reveal?

Answer 14

this reveals the moral law and gives us the categorical imperative which we should obey

Question 15

why is doing duty a good thing?

Answer 15

duty is doing a good thing for no other reason because we know it is our duty

Question 16

what wouldn’t it be if someone acts because they are forced to?

Answer 16

it would not be a virtuous action.

=

VIRTUE CAN ONLY BE FOR DUTY’S SAKE

Question 17

what do we expect out of virtuous actions?

Answer 17

happiness, even though we don’t always get it

Question 18

what is it called when virtue and happiness come together?

Answer 18

it is called the summum bonum (greatest good)

Question 19

because summum bonum cannot be achieved in this world, what is it logical to think?

Answer 19

that there is an afterlife to fulfil the summum bonum

Question 20

what does kant say would happen if he accepts that there is an objective obligation?

Answer 20

that this then implies belief in the 3 postulates of morality; freedom, immortality and god

Question 21

what are the 3 postulates of morality?

Answer 21

freedom, immortality and God

Question 22

freedom

Answer 22

an action is moral if one is free to do it

Question 23

immortality

Answer 23

actions aren’t always rewarded by happiness, fulfilled in the afterlife

Question 24

god

Answer 24

if there is an afterlife then there must be god that connects the virtuous behaviour with the summum bonum

Question 25

Kant’s MA in a nutsell.

Answer 25

1) It is logical for perfect virtue to be rewarded by perfect happiness.
2) humans cannot get the summum bonum without God and an afterlife.
3) God must exist to provide the summum bonum

Question 26

what did freud say about the way Kant described the conscience? CRITICISM

Answer 26

the conscience as described by Kant is in fact a product of the unconscious mind

Question 27

how does freud describe the ego?

Answer 27

the conscious self, the personality that everyone sees

Question 28

how does freud describe the super-ego?

Answer 28

the subconscious set of moral controls given to us by outside influences like the rules of society

Question 29

what do the ego and the super-ego represent? FREUD

Answer 29

the aspects of psychological activity that represent the moral decision-making mechanisms

Question 30

what does Freud say about moral values that fails kant’s MA? CRITICISM

Answer 30

moral values are not objective, but come from our subconscious or super-ego. kant’s ma = failed

Question 31

what role does the super-ego play in the oedipus complex?

Answer 31

the super-ego is the ‘inner parent’ which rewards good behaviour and punishes the bad

Question 32

what is the conscience a result of? FREUD

Answer 32

the conscience is a result of the super-ego

Question 33

if life’s challenges are not resolved - what is caused? FREUD

Answer 33

it causes neuroses. = religion is a neurosis

Question 34

what does freud argue about morality? STRENGTH

Answer 34

freud argues that morality doesn’t come from God, but there is no proof that morality comes from the super-ego

Question 35

what could be an explanation of the super-ego in humanity? STRENGTH

Answer 35

perhaps god uses the super-ego to give us morality

Question 36

what is to be said about people having different rules? STRENGTHS

Answer 36

just because different people have slightly different rules doesn’t mean these isn’t a moral law

Question 37

because the MA is on of probability not certainty, what can’t we know? WEAKNESS

Answer 37

we’ll only know if the summum bonum is achieved until after we die

Question 38

what is there no logical reason for? WEAKNESS

Answer 38

there is no logical reason why our sense of right/wrong comes from God

Question 39

what doesn’t moral behaviour have to be rewarded with? WEAKNESS

Answer 39

happiness

Question 40

what does it mean if having a sense of morality is part of an average life? WEAKNESS

Answer 40

then there is no need for god

Question 41

what is there no link between? WEAKNESS

Answer 41

there’s no link between god and the afterlife. there could be a natural migration of souls as in hindu reincarnation