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ethics > kantian ethics > Flashcards

kantian ethics Flashcards

1
Q

Kant was fascinated by the sense of a moral will. Explain this

A

-he said he was filled with awe at ‘the starry heavens above and the moral law within’. He believes this will be an a priori moral will (our sense of ought)

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2
Q

kants theory is…

A

absolutist- absolute moral laws which exist in the noumenal, world.

we access absolute moral laws by using reason

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3
Q

what is the hypothetical imperative and why did Kant dismiss this ?

A
  • hypothetical imperative= where we base a moral decision on an intended outcome. E.g. if I want my friend to be happy then I must lie to her.
  • this is not true moral reasoning as we will all reach different conclusions about what is good depending on the circumstances.
  • true moral reasoning would reach the same conclusion every time. It must be the same absolute law for everyone
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4
Q

Kant argues for categorical imperatives. What are these?

A

they must be obeyed and applied to everyone whatever the circumstances

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5
Q

what are the three ways we can test whether our actions are categorical imperatives ?

A
  1. can the action be universalised ?
  2. is it using persons as ends in themselves ?
  3. are our actions based on how society ought to be, or how it is? we should life as if we belonged to a kingdom of ends (I.e. how it should be)
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6
Q

what is the quote from Kant

A

‘act only according to that maxim that you will at the same time become universal law’

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7
Q

explain kants lieing promise example

A
  • a man in debt asks to borrow money from a friend, knowing that he cannot pay him back.
  • if he universalises this action he realises that society will fall apart as nobody will be able to trust each other’s promises
  • he is also using his friend as a means to an end.
  • therefore it is the mans duty to tell his friend the truth which can be universalised, and he would recognise that this is how everybody ought to behave.
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8
Q

explain why kants theory is deontological ?

A

it is our duty to carry out what reason tells us is ‘good’

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9
Q

explain kants example of the axe murderer

A
  • an axe murderer turning up at your door and asking for the whereabouts of your friend.
  • it is your duty to tell the truth (as lying can’t be universalised so therefore it is wrong)
  • if your friend is murdered you are not morally responsible as you only ever did the right thing.
  • however, if you did the wrong thing and lie and then an axe murder comes across your friend because of your life, then u would be morally responsible
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10
Q

explain why duty must be done for dutys sake and no other reason

A
  • doing your duty because you feel sorry for them doesn’t count.
  • if we use the example of giving to charity, we might give to a street beggar on one day, but ignore another beggar the next day, depending on our mood.
  • if we give because it is our duty to care for those less fortunate, then we will give to beggars whenever we see them, regardless of how we are feeling that day
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11
Q

Kant believed that we live in a ….

A

fair universe so he argued that there must be a reason for this sense of ought which we all experience

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12
Q

what is the summum bonum

A
  • higher good which is the end product of all of our dutiful good actions.
  • this happens in the afterlife
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13
Q

explain the strength of kants ethics being deontological

A
  • love or compassion clouds our judgement
  • e.g. a mother refusing to reveal the whereabouts of her son to the police after he has murdered someone- this is because she loves him, but it means that he is free to murder again
  • sticking to a principle is better than basing decisions on feelings
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14
Q

explain the weakness of kants ethics being deontological

A
  • acting out of duty is not the way humans behave
  • e.g. I must visit my sick grandmother in hospital because I love her; it would be very cold and uncaring of me to visit her simply because it is a duty
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15
Q

explain the strength of kants ethics that it is not consequentialist

A
  • according to Kant the moral value of the action comes from the action itself
  • consequentialist theories rely on the belief that if the consequences are good then the action must be good
  • but consequences are hard to predict and there are times when the outcome is unexpectedly bad, even though the perpetrator had good intentions
  • for Kant, the outcome doesn’t matter
  • all that matter is that you did the right thing regardless of consequences
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16
Q

explain the weakness of kants ethics that it isn’t consequentialist

A
  • the consequences of an action are dismissed as irrelevant
  • but surely it is important to consider whether anybody will be hurt by our actions
  • e.g. if we decide that breaking the speed limit is wrong and fail to rush a dying man to hospital, then surely we would feel guilty.
  • in such a situation you cannot just dismiss the consequences and insist on one moral rule for everyone
17
Q

explain the strength of categorical imperatives

A
  • the formula of the end in itself recognises that other people are reasoning individuals, and so corrects the utilitarian assumption that the minority’s can suffer so long as the majority are happy.
  • Kant sees humans as being of intrinsic worth and dignity as they are autonomous, rational creatures.
  • using kants theory means that it is impossible to justify slavery or exploitation
18
Q

explain the weakness of the categorical imperatives

A
  • Kant fails to explain what to do if they clash
  • e.g. you cannot universalise breaking a promise, and neither can you universalise lying, but what if telling the truth results in you breaking a promise.
  • W.D Ross finds a solution to this by listing ‘prima facie duties’ which outweigh other duties. These include fidelity and justice
  • e.g. if I am hiding Jewish children, I can lie to the nazi soldier in order to keep my promise to their parents that I will do my best to protect them.
19
Q

what is another problem with the categorical imperatives

A
  • there are occasions where using another as a means to an end is necessary
  • e.g. consider the case of Leah Betts whose parents used a video of her death from an overdose to warn other people of the dangers of drug testing.
20
Q

explain the weakness of the fair universe and summa bonum

A
  • kants belief that the universe is fair and that it will all work out in the end is another weakness
  • this means there must be a God who ensures justice in the universe.
  • if there is no God and no afterlife (as many believe) then there is little point in doing your duty, particularly if the consequences are unfavourable
  • e.g. a member of the resistance chooses not to smother a crying baby and thus reveals the whereabouts of refugees who are consequently murdered.
  • for Kant, this behaviour is acceptable and it will work out because the universe is fair but for non believers all that has resulted is an unnecessary massacre
21
Q

two reasons why kantian ethics isnt too reliant on reason

A
  • reason is better than responding with feelings as love clouds our judgement
  • using reason to work out what is our duty is better than looking to consequences as we can’t predict these
22
Q

3 reasons why kantian ethics is too reliant on reason

A
  • acting out of reason is not the way humans behave
  • consequences aren’t irrelevant
  • sometimes kants reason lets him down. e.g. his argument that we live in a fair universe
23
Q

what AO1 would you include in essay on ‘is kantian ethics too reliant on reason ‘

A
  • true moral reasoning
  • absolutist
  • summon bonum
  • a priori moral will
  • fair universe
  • numinal world
  • hypothetical imperative
  • categorical imperative
  • kants quote
24
Q

4 reasons why kantian ethics isn’t too abstract

A
  • it makes us consider his the world should be
  • the formula of ends in itself recognises that other people are reasoning individuals
  • abstract reasoning is better than responding with feelings as love clouds are judgement
  • abstract reasoning is better than looking to consequences
25
Q

two reasons against the idea that kantian ethics isn’t too abstract

A
  • dismissing consequences
  • kants abstract reasoning lets him down. e.g. his argument that the universe must necessarily be fair as we have a sense of ought. There are sound evolutionary reasons for our sense of fairness and it does not necessarily point to God and a afterlife
  • if the universe isn’t fair then there isn’t necessarily a summum bonum
26
Q

4 points on how far can ethical judgments be based on duty

A
  • duty is a useful concept as our ideas are subject to change. Giving to beggar example
  • we have a duty towards other people on the kingdom of ends
  • problem of conflicting duties
  • argument for duty relies on the idea of summum bonum
27
Q

explain John Rawls development of kants kingdom of ends with his ‘veil of ignorance ‘

A
  • he asks us to imagine that we were to decide rules for a society before we knew out place within it
  • we would ban racism and homophobia because we do not know whether we might be gay or black
  • we would make up rules about how the world should be
  • we would then have to live by these rules regardless of who we were, and regardless of how we might later feel about them

ethics (12 decks)

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