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Kantian ethics Flashcards

1
Q

what makes an action good?

A

An action is only good if a person acts from a sense of good will, not kindness or because they want to appear virtuous to others.

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2
Q

why does good will+duty+moral action?

A

The only acceptable reason for putting good will into action is a sense of duty.
If you act from a sense of duty you are not being forced to do something.
Kant said duty involves freely choosing the action’ as anything else would invalidate it.

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3
Q

What are our duties as rational people to ourselves? (1,2,3)

A
  1. Not committing suicide
  2. Not lusting after people of things
  3. Not being drunk
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4
Q

What are our duties as rational people to ourselves? (4,5,6)

A
  1. Not being greedy
  2. Not lying
  3. Not acting in a manner than undervalues yourself.
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5
Q

What are our duties as rational people to other rational people?

A
  1. To be generous
  2. To be grateful
  3. To be sympathetic
  4. To respect people as individuals and equals
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6
Q

How did W.D Ross try to solve the problem of conflicting duties?

A

duties were prima facie- left to us to decide in a particular situation which duty is our actual duty.

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7
Q

what do ross’ prima facie duties include?

A
  1. Keeping promises
  2. Making up for any wrong actions
  3. gratitude
  4. justice
  5. helping others
  6. Avoiding harming others
  7. self- improvement
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8
Q

Why is ross’ approach a better approach?

A

This is a better approach because the right duty can be focused on according to the situation at the time.

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9
Q

What is the Hypothetical imperative?

A

A command to act to achieve a desired result. There is no imperative to obey it unless you want to achieve the outcome so therefore it is not moral.
‘ If i do this… then this will happen’.

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10
Q

What is the categorical Imperative?

A

A command to act that is good in itself regardless of the consequences.

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11
Q

what is the first formulation of the categorical imperative?

A

Formula of the law of nature- Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.

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12
Q

what has to happen for an action to be morally valid?

A

The person performing the action must not carry out any action unless he or she believes that, in the same situation, all people should and act in the same way.

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13
Q

What is the second formulation of categorical imperative?

A

Formula of the end in itself- Act that you treat humanity, both in your own person and in the person of every other human being, never, merely as a means, but always at the same times as an end.

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14
Q

why must you treat humans with respect?

A

Yous must treat humans with respect so slavery is unacceptable because it uses humans for a means to an end and not a end in themselves.

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15
Q

What is the third formulation of the categorical imperative?

A

Formula of the kingdom of ends- Act as if you are a legislating member in the universal kingdom of ends.

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16
Q

what is the kingdom of ends?

A

The kingdom of ends is a society of people all of whom are entitled to be treated as ends and not means. You should act as though everyone else has the same human rights as you.

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17
Q

what is the summum bonum?

A

The highest good.
The state of affairs in which human beings are both virtuous and happy.
This is what ought to happen because true virtue should be rewarded by happiness.

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18
Q

Kant believed that for the summum bonum to be achieved we had to accept three postulates: the first is freedom ?

A

Freedom- If we are to act morally we must be capable of having the freedom to act according to our duty because morality without freedom would be illogical.

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19
Q

The second postulate is immorality, explain this?

A

Immorality- we cannot ensure that our virtue is rewarded to make us happy in this lifetime. so therefore there must be a life after death where the summum bonum can be achieved.

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20
Q

The third postulate is God, explain this?

A

There has to be a God who has the power to reward virtue with happiness in the next life.

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21
Q

Kantian ethics are what?

A

deontological argument- they focus on the idea of duty.

22
Q

Kant thought there is what?

A

objective and absolute moral law. morality is not just a personal preference or invented by society.

23
Q

moral law can be used through what?

A

can be used through reason.

24
Q

Kant thought that the only thing that can be called goof without qualification was what?

A

was good will.

25
Q

purity of motive is important for Kant- why?

A

an action is good if it is done for the right reasons, but the same action is not virtuous if it is done to impress others or for some other kind of personal gain.

26
Q

Kant said that morality should not be driven by what?

A

driven by emotion. we should do the right thing because it is the right thing, not because we feel sorry for someone or loyal to them, or for any other emotional reason.

27
Q

example of kants duties?

A

doing good to others
recognising the right to private property.
avoiding drunkenness.
Not making false promises, but being truthful.

28
Q

kant- knowledge can be divided into to kinds, what are these kinds?

A

knowledge that comes from sense experience, ‘a posteriori’ knowledge.
and knowledge that we have in first hand ‘ a priori’ knowledge.

29
Q

Kant thought that moral knowledge was what?

A

moral knowledge is priori;
we do not need to know what is right and wrong.
Moral knowledge comes from within.

30
Q

Kant also thought moral knowledge was what?

A

knowledge is synthetic rather than analytic- we cannot tell whether something is right or wrong by looking at it. we bring additional information, from our knowledge of right or wrong.
this is because we bring additional knowledge when we are making judgements, kant thought moral knowledge must be synthetic.

31
Q

imperatives- Kant understood moral law in terms of what?

A

the hypothetical imperative and the categorical imperative.

- thought moral law- good in itself, is categorical, not hypothetical.

32
Q

what is the hypothetical imperative?

A

‘hypothetical imperative’ refers to rules we must follow if we want to achieve particular results. If we want to achieve X then we must do Y. If I don’t want to achieve X then it doesn’t matter whether I do Y or not.

33
Q

What is the categorical imperative?

A

’ the categorical imperative’ refers to rules that must be followed with no ‘ifs’. Moral rules are categorical imperatives. They must be followed, regardless of what we hope to achieve in the end results and regardless of our emotions or personal preferences.

34
Q

Kant offers what principles or formulae in the categorical imperative?

A
  1. the universal law of nature
  2. the end in itself
  3. the kingdom of ends
35
Q

what is the universal law of nature?

A

our moral rules must be capable of being universal ( they should be universalisable.) they should be rules that apply to everyone at all times and in all cultures. we should not make rules where we expect to be aloud to break them when it suits us. Truth- telling is Kants major example of this- we should always tell the truth.

36
Q

what is the end in its self?

A

people should not use others as a means to an end. They should treat others as people, not as tools to get what they want.

37
Q

What is the kingdom of ends?

A

people should act as if their behaviour is setting the laws in an ideal kingdom. Imagine we live in a ideal society of rational people. which laws would we have to govern behaviour? always behave as if you are following those rules.

38
Q

Kants three postulates

A

kant makes three assumptions (postulates) which underpin his ethics-
1. Freedom 2. Immorality 3. God.

39
Q

What is freedom?

A
  • we are all free to make moral decisions. If we are were not free to choose then we could not be praised or blamed for what we do as we would have no choice. we must assume we are free to do our duty.
40
Q

What is immortality?

A

Good people should be rewarded with ultimate happiness. This is the highest good (summum bonum). In this life we can see that it does not always happen that good people are rewarded with happiness. - we must assume there is a afterlife where justice is done in the end.

41
Q

What is God?

A

It seems that Kant assumes there must be a God to bring about the afterlife and to ensure that justice is done. Kant thought that human reason could not know God, but this ethics imply God.

42
Q

Strengths of Kantian ethics?

How can Kant’s ideas of moral absolutes be appealing?

A

Kant’s ideas on moral absolutes can be appealing- morality is not changeable depending on fashionable opinion; there are some things which are always absolutely right or wrong.

43
Q

strength- Kantian ethics

kant emphasises what?

A

Human moral reasoning- giving autonomy to people to act thoughtfully rather than blindly following commands.

44
Q

strength of Kantian ethics?

the categorical imperative as a quality of morality does not leave people doing what ?

A

wasting time wondering whether, in this circumstance, they still need to tell the truth. Rules are rules, which can make them easy to know and apply.

45
Q

Strength- Kantian ethics

Kant recognises what?

A

recognises the dignity and worth of other human beings, whatever their status in society.

46
Q

Weakness Kantian ethics- Kantian ethics can be seen as what?

A

can be seen as cold and lacking in compassion for peoples individual circumstances.

47
Q

weakness- Kantian ethics

some people argue what?

A

some argue that kant fails to recognise the importance of human emotion in moral decision- making.

48
Q

Weakness- Kantian ethics, sometimes Kant seems to be recommending sticking to rules when it is clear that what?

A

even when it is clear that such actions will lead to terrible consequences.

49
Q

weakness- kant does not tell us what?

A

he does tell us what to do when duties conflict. He does not give guidance about how to make choice.

50
Q

weakness- religious believers might think that kant seems to give what?

A

Give human reason a more important place in morality than that he gives to God.

Ethics (12 decks)

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