KANTIAN ETHICS

Question 1

What did Kant believe humans seek?

Answer 1

An ultimate end - the supreme good - the “summum bonum”.

Question 2

What can we work out using our reason?

Answer 2

What our duty is.

Question 3

What is duty according to Kant?

Answer 3

Something we are required to do whether you want to or not, no matter how you feel about it.

Question 4

What is the only thing that is totally and completely good?

Answer 4

A goodwill.

Question 5

What does your will determine?

Answer 5

The morality of an act - the outcome.

Question 6

What matters in terms of goodwill?

Answer 6

The intention not the outcome.

Question 7

What are the three postulates?

Answer 7

1. Freedom
2. Immorality
3. God

Question 8

What did Kant believe the three postulates are a form of?

Answer 8

Reward for doing one’s duty.

Question 9

What are hypothetical imperatives?

Answer 9

Imperatives that tell you what to do if you want to achieve something.

Question 10

What is a categorical imperative?

Answer 10

Things which should be done without condition.

Question 11

What are maxims?

Answer 11

The general rules with which we intend to act. You must apply maxims to the CI to see if they’re right/wrong actions.

Question 12

What are the three formulations of the categorical imperative?

Answer 12

1. ‘Principle of Universalisability’
2. Treat people as ends in themselves.
3. Act as if you live in a kingdom of ends.

Question 13

What are the two types of contradiction? What do they mean? (1 CI)

Answer 13

1. Contradiction in Conception = the maxim contradicts itself or an existing law of nature.
2. Contradiction in Volition = the maxim can logically be applied, but as a rational human being, it makes no sense to.

Question 14

What would be a contradiction of the will? (1 CI)

Answer 14

Where promises become meaningless.

Question 15

What does Kant teach about the second formulation of the categorical imperative?

Answer 15

You can never treat people as means to an end - there can be no use of an individual for the sake of the many - as is the case with utilitarianism.

Question 16

What does Kant teach about the third formulation of the categorical imperative?

Answer 16

Culmination of the two previous formulations.

Kant argues that to preserve the moral integrity of each individual, we must see every person as an “end”.

Question 17

Give two strengths of Kantian Ethics.

Answer 17

1. The CI is a powerful set of moral principles.

2. Kant’s theory makes a distinction between duty and inclination.

Question 18

Give two weaknesses of Kantian Ethics.

Answer 18

1. Sometimes duties conflict.

2. Acting out of a sense of ‘duty for duty’s sake’ is cold and impersonal.

Question 19

Strengths of using our duty as a measure of good, bad, right or wrong (give two).

Answer 19

• Prevents decisions being influenced by emotions.

* Objective and absolute.

Question 20

Problems with using our duty as a measure of good, bad, right or wrong (give two)

Answer 20

• Duty - too cold and impersonal.

* Too idealistic.

Question 21

Reasons for suggesting that Kantian ethics so reliant on reason that it unduly rejects the importance of other factors, such as sympathy, empathy and love in moral decision-making (give two).

Answer 21

• Acting in a rational way when feelings/ loyalty are involved is difficult.
• Emotions – fundamental part of human experience.

Question 22

Reasons for suggesting that Kantian ethics is right to rely on reason and to reject the other factors, such as sympathy, empathy and love in moral decision-making (give two).

Answer 22

• Protects against corruption.

* Selfish aims might be pursued otherwise.

Question 23

What was Kant’s link to religion?

Answer 23

Kant did believe in God and an afterlife but he was suspicious of relying on religious doctrines and dogmas.

Question 24

What does moral law tell us?

Answer 24

What to do irrespective of consequence.

Question 25

What does Kant state about duty and goodwill?

Answer 25

“It is impossible to conceive of anything in the world, or indeed out of it, which can be called good without qualification, save only a good will.”

Question 26

Give two specific duties Kant outlines.

Answer 26

1. the innate right to freedom.

2. the duty not to make false promises, as truthfulness is a foundation of human society.

Question 27

How is moral knowledge known?

Answer 27

Through reason not experience or emotion.

Question 28

How does knowledge arising from sense of perception and experience arise?

Answer 28

Out of experience of particular objects and is a posteriori.

Question 29

What is an analytic judgement?

Answer 29

One where the predicate belongs to the subject.

Question 30

What are synthetic propositions?

Answer 30

Those in which the predicate is outside the subject.

Question 31

What can we combine to find this knowledge (a posteriori or a priori)?

Answer 31

The ‘judgement’ (analytic or synthetic) with the way we find out this knowledge.

Question 32

What are analytic statements always?

Answer 32

A priori.

Question 33

What can many synthetic statements be known as?

Answer 33

A posteriori.

Question 34

What does Kant think moral propositions must be?

Answer 34

Synthetic.

Question 35

What does the hypothetical imperative do?

Answer 35

Commands behaviour for an end.

Question 36

What does the categorical imperative command?

Answer 36

Us to exercise our will in a certain way irrespective of any end.

Question 37

What is moral law?

Answer 37

Categorical, in its commanding nature.

Question 38

What did Constant argue about the first formulation of the categorical imperative?

Answer 38

The duty to always tell the truth would make any society impossible.

Question 39

What have Kant’s ethics influenced?

Answer 39

Catholic moral thought in the twentieth century, especially around the supremacy of human life and the need for universal rules.

Question 40

What does Kant state about the third formulation of the CI?

Answer 40

“I will take all I can as everyone else takes all they can”.

Question 41

What does Kant state about the postulate of immorality?

Answer 41

We must postulate immorality of the soul to allow for the correct happiness to be ensured beyond this life.

Question 42

How do Kant’s ethics imply the postulate of God?

Answer 42

The idea of eternal law, the idea that human’s are created rational creatures, and the idea that sometimes doing the right thing does not lead to the greatest happiness in this world.

Question 43

What was Kant’s religious affiliation?

Answer 43

Committed Lutheran Christian.