Topic 3 - Kant Flashcards

1
Q

what does kant mean by duty?

A

reason enables us to reflect on ourselves. By duty Kant means doing what we ought to do. We have a sense of obligation to perform certain actions, such as telling the truth, obeying legitimate instructions, being truthful and doing good for others.

we have free will and so we must use our will as we can, which means the will to do good. Outcomes are never clear but we must will to do right.

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2
Q

is kant deontological or teleological?

A

deontological

a theory by which the goodness of an act is not dependent on the outcome but on the goodness itself.

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3
Q

absolutist?

A

kant is very absolutist this means the command to do one’s duty is invariable

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4
Q

hypothetical imperatives?

A

what we must do to achieve a particular goal. There is no requirement to follow this, but it is how we should act if we wish to achieve something

e.g. IF i want to be a doctor I MUST THEN do medical school

note the if and the must/then

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5
Q

what is the FIRST form of the categorical imperatives?

A

principle of universalisation

we should only act on a maxim that we are willing to follow as a law in every situation

e.g. if i rob a bank am i willing for everyone to be allowed to rob a bank

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6
Q

what is the SECOND form of the categorical imperative?

A

principle of the priority of ends or occasionally as the ‘formula of the end in itself’

treat everyone as ends and never as means

e.g. wrong for a shopkeeper to treat customers as a means for a profit and to cheat them

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7
Q

what is the THIRD form of the categorical imperative?

A

the ‘kingdom of ends’

follows on from the other two

so act as to treat everyone, including yourself, as an end in the kingdom of ends. This connects with the second form of the categorical imperative, and insists upon human dignity. Actions are done or the sake of persons and thus everyone should be treated for good.

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8
Q

what does kant mean by the three postulates for practical reason?

A

that we are free beings

that we are immortal

that God exists.

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9
Q

ESSAY PLAN - KANT

POINT 1

duty vs consequences, good will and duty

A
  • Kant believed there were absolute moral rules, which could be worked out rationally, and applied in all situations. Moral principles are thus autonomously derived through reason (influenced by Rousseau and freedom). Kant believed whenever one acted they were acting upon a maxim (a principle) – we must consider whether such maxims are categorical imperatives (unconditional moral obligation), or merely hypothetical imperatives (moral obligation carried out depending on the goal in question) “good simply as a means to something else” or “good in itself, in accordance to reason” (Kant, ‘Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals’)
  • Kant, in his ‘Foundations for the Metaphysics of Morals’, claimed that the only truly good thing was a good will; having good intentions. It does not matter if we are prevented from carrying out our intentions – what matter’s is that we will to do good. “Good will is good because of how it wills – i.e. it is good in itself” everything else’s goodness comes about based on how it is used e.g. power or intelligence.
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10
Q

ESSAY PLAN - KANT

POINT 1 - counter argument

focus on duty is absolutist and inflexible (Rachels)

A
  • ‘The Case of the Inquiring Murderer’ poses the question to Kant of what one should reply to a murderer who asks if his victim is hiding in a certain house. Kant responds by saying we cannot predict the consequences of not telling the truth (i.e. cannot be the murderer would certainly go to the victims hiding place) so must adhere to absolute moral rules, “do not lie” and tell the truth, as we would be held responsible for the consequence of lying.
  • James Rachels, in ‘The Elements of Moral Philosophy’ argues 1) human predictive powers are essential to functional societies. 2) “Kant seems to assume that although we would be morally responsible for any bad consequences of lying, we would not be similarly responsible for bad consequences of telling the truth”.
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11
Q

ESSAY PLAN - KANT

POINT 1 - counter response

flexible maxims

A

• The response to the ‘Case of the Inquiring Murderer’ would be to change the maxim “do not lie” to “do not lie unless doing so will save a life” – this maxim does not seem to contradict the will or be self-defeating

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12
Q

ESSAY PLAN - KANT

POINT 1 - conclusive response

relativity over deontology

A
  • Yet this highlights moral duties DEPEND on situations in question, thus relativist, situational morality is favourable. Without being able to adapt one’s principles to the situation in hand, people may be forced to make ill-favoured decisions because they feel it is their duty to do so.
  • Kantian ethics seems to be a form of virtue ethics, but really “good people” are people who commit “good acts” – acts which have successful outcomes. One may favour pragmatism over moral truth – truth based on what works in a given situation.
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13
Q

ESSAY PLAN - KANT

POINT 2

valuing persons, second formulation, the end in itself

A

• “treat humanity… always as an end, never simply as a means”, known as the ‘humanity formula’ and has had the biggest impact on Western thought. One must never treat another as a means to an end, as humans are rational creatures deserved of dignity and respect; thus they must always be treated as ends in themselves. For example, helping an old lady to cross the road in order to gain praise for helping the elderly.

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14
Q

ESSAY PLAN - KANT

POINT 2 - counter argument

second formulation is unrealistic

A

• The second formation of the CI is unrealistic – if we were not allowed to treat people as means to an end then society would break down as no one could pay for services!

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15
Q

ESSAY PLAN - KANT

POINT 2 - counter response

humanity formula, functional society (onora o’nell)

A
  • Often frivolous objections are made to the second formulation of the CI of not treating others as means to an end. Yet the contemporary Kantian Ethicist Onora O’Neill, in her paper ‘Kantian Approaches to some famine problems’ argues Kant means “do not treat others as mere means to an end” using someone entirely as a tool, thus involving lack of consent. There is nothing wrong about using one as a means, as any cooperative scheme of action requires so, yet there must be consent involved in this use.
  • Clearly the second formation of the CI, of treating people as ends in themselves, makes the theory highly favourable and beneficial Onora O’Neil (a contemporary Kantian ethicist) discusses the duties of those living in more affluent societies have to the less fortunate. Kantian ethics specify duty of benefice which “develop or promote others” ends. Thus charitable acts must be performed towards the poor, as they are least able to pursue their own ends.
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16
Q

ESSAY PLAN - KANT

POINT 2 - conclusive response

kingdom of ends is idealistic

A
  • Kantian ethics is based on a utopian vision of all acting as legislating members in a kingdom of ends, desiring the same good ends arguably idealistic as not all desire the same good ends
  • Yet Kant offers a political and arguably practical component to his theory by telling us how society would be if all were to accept his deontological ethics; by acting with this in mind, we all have different ideals and makes it unlikely
17
Q

ESSAY PLAN - KANT

POINT 3

issue of moral perfective, acting out of duty not love (williams)

A
  • Yet although Kant seems to respect the intrinsic value of human life and dignity, there seems to be something paradoxical about acting out of dispassionate duty in order to bring about the greatest good for humanity
  • Kant dictates moral acts are motivated by duty, founded upon reason over emotion. Yet this does not mean we are to feel nothing when we act morally, rather our choice should be based on duty over feeling. But Bernard Williams points out that if a man has to justify saving his wife over a stranger in a shipwreck, he must claim “I saved my wife because it is my duty to do so under the categorical imperative, and because I love her” suggests we cannot just act out of love, which seems completely contradictory to human nature
18
Q

ESSAY PLAN - KANT

POINT 3 - counter argument

morality should be disinterested (Rachels)

A
  • Kant would indeed argue that one should never act out of love, as this leads to inconsistent morality
  • Critical to deontological ethics is the notion of consistency, all rules must apply to all people at all times. Rachels claims “if you accept any considerations as reasons in one case, you must also accept them as reasons in others cases” ensures all people are treated equally and will achieve moral perfection
19
Q

ESSAY PLAN - KANT

POINT 3 - conclusive response

clearly moral perfection is unacheivable (three postulates)

A
  • Three postulates justify the theory: justifies following duty by claiming there is an afterlife; we will be rewarded and reach the Summum Bonum once we die. Not only do many not believe in a afterlife, (making following duty seem futile) the fact that we will only be happy once we die seems to highlight that acting in accordance to duty brings no satisfaction to persons in this life, and highlights that moral perfection is unachievable.
  • Instead it seems society will achieve the most happiness by acting situationally, out of love. What is right for one person in one situation will not necessarily be right for another. Deontological morality ultimately overlooks people and their preferences for absolute duties and rules – leads to puritanism and undesired outcomes.