Kantian Ethics Flashcards
What would be the motivations of helping an old lady to cross the road?
- Make us feel good about ourselves.
- To be a good role model.
- Impress others.
- To please the Old lady.
What does Kant say our only motivation should be?
Our only motivation should be to do our duty for duty’s sake.
If we can do good in a situation, and are able to do so, then it’s our duty to do so.
Moral Law
Binding moral obligations.
Maxims
Another word for ‘rules’, they are determined by human reason.
Duty
Duties are created by moral law, to follow it is our duty.
The word deontological means duty based.
Summum Bonum
The highest, most supreme good.
Good will
A person of good will is a person who makes decisions according to the moral law.
Categorical Imperative
A command that is good in itself regardless of consequences.
Hypothetical Imperative
A command that is followed to achieve a desired result.
Kingdom of ends
An imagined future in which all people act in accordance with the moral law, the categorical imperative.
What did Kant’s theory of knowledge argue?
The mind organises our experiences so that there are phenomena (how the world appears) and noumena (how the world really is).
What does Kant say about the existence of God?
Kant argues that it’s impossible to prove God’s existence but that moral truths are somehow built into the world.
Give 2 examples of where interpretations of the meaning of what is ‘good’ may cause contradictions:
- Making other people may be good, but it wouldn’t be good if you were among people happily torturing others.
- Courage is generally good, but there are situations where you can courageously do the wrong thing.
What thing does Kant say is the only thing that is good at all times?
Good will
What 2 false intentions does Kant rule out about the motives of our actions?
- We should not base our views of right and wrong on consequences as these are not in our control.
- We should not base our decisions on what we want to do, as our emotions change on a regular basis. One day we fill like doing the right thing, the next day we won’t.
For Kant, what is the only thing that matters?
That we do our duty, the thing that we logically work out is the right thing to do.
Why should we do our duty?
Because it’s our duty, not for any reward.
What does Kant think we should establish to work out what our duty is?
We should establish what sort of command (imperative) lies behind it.
