WEEK 11-12: Categorical Imperative

Categorical imperative

• “act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law”

• you should act a certain way only if you’re willing to have everyone else act the same way too. `

TRUE

TRUE OR FALSE:

You should avoid being rude to people, unless you want everyone to be rude to each other - an example of Categorical imperative

German philosopher Immanuel Kant

• Who proposed Categorical Imperative?

1785, in Kant’s book “Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals”.

• When was categorical Imperative proposed?

Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals

• In this book, Kant argues that the categorical imperative is a moral principle that is absolute, meaning that it should be followed by all rational beings and that following it should be seen as a goal in itself.

Categorical imperative

• One of the best-known moral principles to ever be formulated, and can be useful in a variety of contexts, so it’s important to understand it

Kant Immanuel

Who proposed this statement: “When I am in a tight spot, may I not make a promise with the intention of not keeping it?”

Tragedy of the commons

• a phenomenon whereby the collective action of individuals, who are each acting in an independent and self-interested manner, ends up being detrimental to them all, generally by exhausting or spoiling a shared resource

• Example: Commercial overfishing

Ask guiding questions.

• When you do this, you might also benefit from creating psychological self-distance which will help you assess the situation in a more honest and rational manner

• “how would you feel if you saw someone else act the same way?”

Visualize everyone else acting the same way

• It is trying to visualize what it would look like if everyone acted the same way toward each other, and particularly toward you or toward someone that you care about

Consider the outcomes of everyone acting the same way

• Trying to consider all the potential outcomes of everyone else acting the same way, in both the short-term and the long-term.

Categorical imperative

• primarily used when considering future actions

• can also be used when assessing your past actions

1. Ask guiding questions

2. Visualize everyone else acting the same way

3. Consider the outcomes of everyone acting the same way

• 3 ways on how to use categorical imperative

• Explain what the categorical imperative is

• Give relevant examples

• Encourage the use of the categorical imperative directly

• Ask questions that prompt the use of the categorical imperative

• Encourage the use of techniques

• Ways to encourage others to use the categorical imperative

The Formula of Universal Law (FUL)

• first formulation

• “Act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law”.

The Formula of the Law of Nature (FLN)

• A variant of the first formulation

• “So act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will a universal law of nature”

Formulation of Humanity as End in itself (FH)

• second formulation

• “Act so that you use humanity, as much in your own person as in the person of every other, always at the same time as end and never merely as means.”

The Formula of Autonomy (FA)

• third formulation

• “The idea of the will of every rational being as a will giving universal law” or “Not to choose otherwise than so

  that the maxims of one’s choice are at the same time comprehended with it in the same volition as universal law”.

The Formula of the Realm of Ends (FRE)

• a variant of third formulation

• “Act in accordance with maxims

  of a universally legislative member for a merely possible realm of ends”.

Formula of the Kingdom of Ends

The Formula of the Realm of Ends (FRE) known as ____________________

The Formula of Universal Law - first variant of the first formulation

best-known among the 5 formulations

Need for an authority’ criticism

• Criticism that proposed by German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer

Need for an authority’ criticism

• suggests that “an ethics of imperatives… requires an ‘authority’ from which commands can issue

Compassion

Schopenhauer proposed other criticisms of Kant’s work, such as that the categorical imperative is driven by egoism, when it should be driven by ___________

Inability to deal with evil’ criticism

• criticism suggests that the categorical imperative leads to issues such as powerlessness in the face of certain predicaments.

On A Supposed Right to Lie for Altruistic Motives

• Kant’s essay that if someone were asked

  by a murderer for the whereabouts of an innocent victim that they intend to kill, then it would be morally wrong to lie to the murderer, since it is wrong to lie.

On A Supposed Right to Lie for Altruistic Motives

• On A Supposed Right to Lie for Altruistic Motives of Kant is an example of what criticism?

1. John Stuart Mill

2. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

• Additional criticisms of the categorical imperative have also been proposed by whose philosophers?

1. Many of these criticisms have themselves been criticized and refuted in various ways

2. Despite these various criticisms, there is often agreement that the categorical imperative nevertheless has some value as a guiding moral principle.

• 2 important things to note in the additional criticism of John Stuart Mill and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Care and Consideration

• Categorical imperative can be a useful concept to implement, you should use it with __________ and ____________, generally while taking other relevant considerations into account.

Golden Rule

• moral principle which denotes that you should treat others the same way you want to be treated yourself

OMSIM

TRUE OR FALSE

• a common criticism of the categorical imperative is that it is the same thing as the golden rule.

TRUE

TRUE OR FALSE

• Categorical Imperative directed to you

• Golden Rule does not have a direct outcome

• it doesn’t provide duties toward oneself

• depends on personal tastes or desires

• it doesn’t state duties to toward which one is strictly obligated

3 main objections to the golden rule as a moral principle

Concepts of maxims and imperatives

• play an important role in the Kantian philosophy relating to the categorical imperative

Maxim

• subjective principle of the volition

• the objective principle

Maxim

• subjective principle for action, and must be distinguished from the objective principle, namely the practical law

Imperative

• The representation of an objective principle, insofar as it is necessitating for a will, is called a ‘command’ (of reason), and the formula of the command

FALSE

• All imperatives are expressed through an ought and thereby indicate the relation of an objective law of reason to a will which in its subjective constitution is not necessarily determined by that law (a necessitation).

TRUE OR FALSE

• Not all imperatives are expressed through an ought and thereby indicate the relation of an objective law of reason to a will which in its subjective constitution is not necessarily determined by that law (a necessitation).

• hypothetical imperative

• categorical imperative

2 types of Imperative

hypothetical imperative

• moral law that depends on some end goal or condition

• “do not be rude, if you do not want others to be rude to you”

categorical imperative

• absolute and unconditional, does not depend on a particular end goal

• “do not be rude”

hypothetical

• if the action were good merely as a means to something else,

categorical

• as the principle of the will, in a will that in itself accords with reason

TRUE

TRUE OR FALSE

• The categorical imperative is thus only a single one,

Kant

Who stated that “Finally, there is one imperative that, without being grounded on any other aim to be achieved through a certain course of conduct as its condition, commands this conduct immediately. This imperative is categorical. It has to do not with the matter of the action and what is to result from it, but with the form and the principle from which it results; and what is essentially good about it consists in the disposition, whatever the result may be. This imperative may be called that of morality”

• perfect duty

• imperfect duty

• positive duty

• negative duty

4 types of duties

Perfect duty

• “permits no exception in the interest of inclination”

• one that must be followed

Imperfect duty

• “the law cannot specify precisely in what way one is to act and how much one is to do.”

• allows some latitude

Positive duty

• action that one should perform such as cultivate talent

Negative duty

• action that one should avoid, such as stealing.