KANTIAN ETHICS Flashcards
Kant on morality
Kant wanted to base morality on reason, because this could create a harmonious society where everyone would at least have the potential to agree about morality. If people base morality on different faith, there’s no way to agree.
Kant on reason
We can discover a universal moral law through reason and it is our duty to follow it.
Ethical clarity
Kantian deontology has precise rules and a clear method for figuring them out which is available to all rational beings. Kantian ethics doesn’t simply force rules upon people from an external power.
Autonomy
People can recognize the rationality of its rules through their own reason. This engages the autonomy of the individual in the way required for a civilised democratic society.
Kant ignoring the moral value of emotions - Strength
When we act on emotion, our action depends on the way we feel - not our duty.
Stocker’s criticism of Kant ignoring emotions
Stocker argues, imagine a friend visiting you while you are in hospital but they said they only came because it was their duty.
Bernard’s criticism of Kant’s rejection of emotion
Kantian morality is unnatural and requires “one thought too many”. When doing good, a virtuous person need not be thinking about moral laws. They simply do good out of habit.
Aristotle on emotion
We can rationally work on ourselves, trying to develop good emotional habits of behaviour. Aristotle called this cultivating virtue. We can get in control of our emotions, and then they can be relied on to motivate us in moral situations.
Kant on consequentialism
We cannot control consequences, so we cannot be responsible for them. So, they cannot be relevant to our moral decision-making.
Constant’s axe man example
f a murderer asked us where their victim was, and we knew, Constant argued we should lie. This fits most people’s moral intuitions. Telling the truth cannot be an absolute duty, it seems to depend on the situation.
Finding our duty
Establish the maxim (rule), work out if it is a hypothetical or categorical imperative, if categorical then it is our duty to act on it.
Hypothetical imperative
An “if-then” statement that is conditional on its ends.
Kant on hypothetical imperatives
They are based on inclinations which change and focus on consequences which we can’t predict.
Kant absolute moral law quote
“The starry heavens above me and the moral law within me”
Three formulations of the categorical imperative
Formula of the law of nature
Formula of the end in itself
Formula of the Kingdom of ends
Formula of the law of nature
Universalisation - would you be happy if everyone, everywhere had to do this?
Formula of the end in itself
Treat everyone as an ends not a means (not using someone for something else)
Formula of the kingdom of ends
Act as if everyone else is acting the same.
Phenomenal world
Things we experience and things which make us like other animals.
Noumenal world
Our ability to reason according to the moral law - parts of us which make us more like God.
Kant quote on the kingdom of the law of nature
“Act that the maxim of your will could always hold at the same time as a universal law”
Contradictions in the law of nature
Rules that do not make logical sense - they contradict themselves if applied universally.
Eg I love myself so I’m going to kill myself.
Kant quote on the kingdom of ends
“A law making member of a kingdom of ends”
Kant quote on the ends in itself
“Act in such a way that you always treat humanity…never simply as a means, but always as and end”
Kant quote on Summum Bonum
“practical reason is based on a duty to make the Summum Bonum the object of my will”
Three postulates
Freedom - to act out of duty or immorally
Immortality -the Summum Bonum can’t be reached on earth, so must be in the afterlife
God -The afterlife must be provided by someone due to the Summum Bonum being the supreme good.
Kant quote on freedom
“We must be capable of being better human beings”
Kant on fixed human nature
Meaning there is only one way of reasoning - so reason should lead us to the same categorical imperatives.
Maclyntyre on universalisation
You could make a maxim so specific that it would be agreeable universalised.
“Permit me to do what I want whilst prohibiting others from doing what would nullify the action if universalised”
Criticism - consequences
Kantian ethics goes against the way humans think - we consider consequences.
Sometimes we break rules/do something wrong to generate a better consequence.
Paton’s objection to Kant
Everyone has the ability to reason - however some are so oppressed that they do not have the freedom to practice on these decisions.
Foot’s rejection of the categorical imperative.
Moral judgments are not categorical imperatives, but rather are hypothetical imperatives.
There is no basis for the claim that we always have a reason to obey moral rules, so we don’t always have to, meaning moral judgments cannot be categorical.
