Kantian Ethics

Question 1

The first formulation of the categorical imperative

Answer 1

Universalizeability principle

Only do something if you would be fine with everyone doing that thing.

Kant says ‘Act only according to that maxim by which you could at the same time will it become a universal law’. This is the test of universalizability. The maxim of your will is the moral statement of what you want to do.

Question 2

The second formulation of the categorical imperative

Answer 2

Kant says ‘Always treat persons, whether others or in yourself, always as an end, never as a means’. This essentially means ‘don’t use people, or abuse yourself’.

Eg we can never justify killing one person to save many

Question 3

What does Kant believe good will is?

Answer 3

For Kant, a Good will is one which has the right intention when performing moral actions. Once we have used our reason to figure out our duty, we should then just do it out of a sense of duty because it is our duty. We should leave out personal feelings/desires and just do ‘duty for duty’s sake’.

Question 4

For his catagorical imperitives to be true, Kant says that logically, 3 things must be true : 3 postulates, they are -

Answer 4

1.God

Because if morality exists, someone must be the judge

2.Immortality (of the soul in an afterlife). Because good people have lived terrible lives which is illogical, so a heaven must exist.

3.Free will. Kant thought that without free will, we could not be responsible for our actions and thus surely ethics would be pointless.

Question 5

Why are hypothetical rules irrelivant to morality?

Answer 5

They include quantifiers and context and caviat so Benthams theory relies on good being what provides most pleasure, not just a catagorical rule. A catagorical rule is for example “ Treat people as ends in themselves” Not treat people as ends when it suits you.

Question 6

What is the third catagorical imperitive

Answer 6

Kingdom of ends

Imagine if everyone followed the catagorical imperitives, we would be in a kindom of perfect things.

Question 7

What does Kant say of Duty?

Answer 7

Once we establish and understand the catagorical imperitives it is our duty to follow them.