Kantian Ethics Flashcards
Moral agents
An individuals ability to make a moral judgement based on some notion of right and wrong
Ought implies can
If you are supposed to do something then you should be able to do it
Summum bonum
The highest good or ultimate good according to which values and priorities are established
Categorical imperative
An unconditional moral obligation that is always binding irrespective of a persons inclination pr purpose
Universability
A moral law which is obeyed by all people in all situations at any point in history
Duty
Duties are created by the moral law and to follow it is our duty
End in themselves
Treated with respect deserved of a unique rational being not as a way of getting something else
Means to an end
Using people for another purpose
Good will
A person of good will makes decisions according to the moral law, the categorical imperative
Hypothetical imperative
A moral obligation that applies only if one desires the implied goal
Kingdom of ends
An imagined future in which all people act in accordance
Maxim
Another word for moral rules determined by reason
Kantian quote
“He does good not from inclination, but from duty”
A priori synthetic
A priori=knowledge before experience
Synthetic=From circumstances in the world as we find it (provable true or false)
1st formula
- Universalise your action into a universal law
- What is fair for one is fair for all
- “Always act so the maxim of your action can be willed as universal”
2nd formula (humanity)
- Respect all human beings as having absolute dignity and don’t use them for yourself
- “Always treat human beings as an end in themselves, never simply as a means to an end”
3rd formula (autonomy)
- Authority for me to decide, considering the interests of all, on the basis of a shared humanity and my own autonomy
- “So act if you were a law-maker in a kingdom of ends”
The 3 postulates
Ideas put forward
- Freedom=The power of a priori reason
- Immortality=The reward for a dutiful life
- God=The source of the objective law
Noumenal realm
- Intelligible world
- Inaccessible world of things in themselves
- Constant and unchanging
Strengths
- Clarity
- Consistency
- Dignity and equality
Weaknesses
- rigidity
- Harshness
- Speceism
- Conflicting duties
Phenomenal realm
- Animals follow their desires and inclinations only
- No reason
- Behave according to empirical laws of cause and effect, led by their appetite and instincts
