categorical imperative

i kant do this anymore!

Hypothetical imperatives

tell us what we ought to do to fulfill a desire

moral requirements

you ought to do such-and-such, period.

ex: It is not: you should ought to help people if you want to be a good person

instead, it is: you should ought to help people no matter what your desires are.

thus, moral requirements cannot be escaped by saying: “I don’t care about that.”

How are categorical oughts possible?

Because like hypothetical oughts exist due to our desires, categorical oughts exist due to our reason

categorical imperative

If you are about to do something, ask what maxim you would be following if you did it, then ask whether you would allow the maxim to be followed by all people at all times

if so, your act is acceptable, but if not, the act is forbidden

kant on lying

lying is the obliteration of one’s dignity as a human being

• if lying was common, no one would believe each other, and thus no one would listen to each other

• flaws - when lying to save a person’s life, Kant says you cannot lie, because it would follow the maxim that lying is okay, but the maxim in this case would be closer to: “lying is okay if it will save a life”, which can be a universal law

• kant’s rebuttal - we can never be certain of the consequences of telling the truth or of lying. if we tell the truth and bad consequences follow, we will not be in fault, as we have done our duty

• flaw of rebuttal - kant assumes we aren’t responsible for the consequences when telling the truth, but are responsible when we lie