kantian ethics Flashcards
key philosophers
immanual Kant - 1724- 1804
background knowledge on kant
he grew up with a strong moral conscience and controll of the passions - he grew up in a protestant household which taught that religeon and morality are bad together (suggesting morality is based upon reason)
the fundamentals of kantian ethics
the theory is deontological - acting regardless of consequence
categorical and hypothetical imperative
- an imperative is a command or something that you ought to do
- a hypothetical imperative can be oercieved as ‘if x, then y’ this means that to achieve then consequences of x, then you must act the means of y.
- categorical imperitives are commands that are universally applicable and good in themselves. they can be applied to everything becuase they do not deoend on circumstance or situation. a CI is an end in itself, not a means to an end.
how does peter vardy explain the categorical imperative in a QUOTE
‘categorical imperatives are arrived at through practical reason and they are understood as a basis for action’ - moral duties are followed for the sake of duty, not for the ancillery gain
mills interperatation on kants categorical imperative
he agreed that rules (CI) we good as maximising social welfare.
1st formulation of categorical imperative and what it means
formula of the law of nature - the maxim of your will must always work in unison with the universal law of nature.
for example: your maxim might be to commit suicide as living longer will lead to more suffering. however, life is a fundamental principle in nature, so to take it away would be morally wrong.
your maxim must be able to be applied universally and if it leads to social order and justice, it is morally correct, but if it does not then the action should not be commited.
2nd formulation of the categorical imperative and what it means
formula of the end in itself - people should never be treated as a means to an end, but rather be treated as an end in themselves, irrespective of race, colour, class, gender, age, or social status.
this runs counter to the utilitarian principle of the greatest good for the greatest number, as there is bound to be a minority at a disadvantage for the gain of others.
3rd formulation of the categorical imperative and what it means
formula of the kingdom of ends - forming laws on the basis of making rational desicions which are consistent with the laws of logic. thses but be universally accepted and if disputes arose, then they would be delt with rational arguments. kant (not being an idealist) didnt beleive this would be effective in society but still relied on the fact that everyone wants to live in harmony with eachother.
strengths of kants argument
- puts humanitys innate ability to reason at the core of his ethics, which makes it applicable to everyone.
- clear method of moral decision making + universal
- deontological nature of the theory is a strength as it doesn’t rely soley on potential and fickle outcomes to justify the unethical means
- puts reason before desires so all laws are logical - ‘men and beasts’
- everyone is veiwed as equal, regardless of aperance or status
- secular
- places people at the core of the circumstance so they have autonomy to make rational decisions.
weaknesses of kants arguments
doesnt just fit onto this card - COD
conflicts of duty - jean paul satre adds onto this: if you have to choose between ‘caring for your mother’ or ‘fighting for justice’ and you choose to care for your mother as an end in herself, then you risk treating the soldiers as a means to an end.
kantians say we should make an exception to the general rule so we can overcome this difficulty.
what does alaisdare macintyre criticise about kants universalisability principle?
he argues that there could be harmless things such as ‘all cats named mark going to a katy perry concert’ this maxim is not harful and could be universalised but it is not progressive to society.
kants abstract theory
many argue that kant has make the categorical imperative and formulations too abstract to be applied in real life situation, which is null as the purpose of ethics if it doesnt inform us what do do in particular situations.
what did hegel argue about kants veiws on community
he argues that kant has placed community at a very low value, and he disregards the importance of organic culture involving language, social practices and values. can become detrimental if our roots of morality in terms of freindship, loyalty and caring for our children are neglected.
what did H.J. paton argue about our freedom
+ QUOTE
‘we have no independent insight into the alleged necessity for presupposing freedom.’
thousounds live under political reigemes that extract their freedom to make kants moral duties.
for example: many women dont have the freedom of speech or choice to even wear what they want.
