Kantian Deontological Ethics Flashcards
What distinction does Kant make between practical reason and theoretical reason?
Theoretical reason is how we use reason in science; practical reason is how we use reason to make decisions about what to do.
What are three of Kant’s fundamental ethical beliefs?
- Each of us has a capacity to reason and can decide what is moral without relying on anyone else.
- Morality is the promotion and preservation of individual and collective freedom.
- Human beings can be rational and free, which is the basis of their unconditional worth.
What is the basic approach Kant takes in his ethical project?
Identifying the most fundamental principles presupposed in common morality using an a priori method of rational reflection.
What is the will
The will is the capacity to make non-impulsive decisions and to choose on the basis of law or
principles.
What does Kant mean by ‘good will’?
-A disposition to adopt and act on the right sorts of principles that are objective and valid for everyone.
-a good will is the only thing that is good without qualification
What is deontology in the context of Kantian ethics?
The study of morality understood in terms of duties; some actions are intrinsically right regardless of consequences.
What is the difference between acting in accordance with duty and acting from duty?
You are moral only if you act from or out of duty, intending that your action conforms to an objective principle.
What does Kant mean by autonomy in relation to moral law?
Each of us must give the laws to ourselves to ensure that our will is not determined by external forces.
What is the Categorical Imperative?
The supreme principle by which a good will is directed, commanding a course of action unconditionally.
What distinguishes hypothetical imperatives from categorical imperatives?
Hypothetical imperatives are conditional and based on desires, while categorical imperatives are unconditional and based on reason alone.
What is the first form of the Categorical Imperative?
The Formula of the Universal Law: Act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law.
What does a maxim represent in Kantian ethics?
A subjective practical principle held by an agent that describes the action as willed and indicates what the agent intends to do.
What are the two tests to determine if a maxim can be willed as a universal law?
- The contradiction in conception test.
- The contradiction in will test.
What does the contradiction in conception test assess?
Whether your maxim can be acted upon and willed universally without contradiction.
I will promise but not keep my promise, everyone will promise but not keep their promises
What does the contradiction in will test assess?
Whether the ends of a maxim are obligatory for rational beings, thus ensuring the ability to achieve certain ends.
What is the second form of the Categorical Imperative?
The Humanity Formula: Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means, but always at the same time as an end.