Kantian ethics

Question 1

Jean Paul Sartre

Answer 1

We can have clashing duties. For example, should a soldier go and fight in WW2 or stay home and look after his sick mother.

Question 2

Bernard Williams

Answer 2

Kant is wrong in suggesting that ethical decisions should be completely free from emotion.

Question 3

Hume

Answer 3

It is wrong to make a moral decision without emotions.

Question 4

H.J. Paton

Answer 4

Not everyone has the freedom to make valid moral decisions even if they had the rationality to do so. For example, people may live under a political regime that takes away their freedom.

Question 5

Habermas

Answer 5

Kant provides a much needed corrective in our time. He shows us a freer form of reasoning where we can stand back and questions the dominance of such instrumental reasoning.

Question 6

Schopenhauer

Answer 6

It’s not the world we live in and it is wrong to act like we do.

Question 7

Ross

Answer 7

There are clashing duties. Instead comes up with prima facie duties.

Question 8

O’Neil

Answer 8

Kantian ethics is fair as it is universal so it means that the same standard is applied to everyone.

Question 9

Hegel

Answer 9

It is too rational and is therefore too dehumanising when applied to society. It leads to anomie.

Question 10

W.D. Ross quote

Answer 10

Kant mistakenly believes that moral decision making is “a contest between one element which alone has worth and a multitude of other which have none.”

Question 11

Michael Stocker

Answer 11

Only acting out of duty is ‘implausible and baffling.’ Uses example of only visiting a friend in hospital because it’s your duty.

Question 12

The three postulates

Answer 12

1. God
2. Immortality
3. Free will

Question 13

Summum Bonum

Answer 13

The highest good where virtue is rewarded by happiness.

Question 14

Hypothetical imperative

Answer 14

A moral obligation that is dependent upon the arising goal in question. It is a command that we would follow to reach an end result.

Question 15

Three formulations of the categorical imperative

Answer 15

1. universal law
2. person as ends
3. kingdom of ends

Question 16

Alasdair McIntyre

Answer 16

You can make maxims that are specific to only you.

Question 17

Kant on duties

Answer 17

‘Ought implies can’ so if we have a duty then we must be capable of doing it.

Question 18

Imperfect duty

Answer 18

A duty which can be fulfilled in multiple ways.
For example, overcome WW2 problem.

Question 19

Perfect duty

Answer 19

A duty that can only be fulfilled in one way.
For example, you have the duty to always tell the truth and can only fulfil this by never lying.

Question 20

It is too inflexible

Answer 20

1. It’s too inflexible, doesn’t look at the situation at all.
2. However, Kant argues that we should ignore consequence, as we can’t predict the future.
3. However, we can know consequences to a certain extent.