Kant's Categorical Imperative: Act the Way You Want Others to Act

Categorical Imperative

• moral principle which denotes that you should "act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law”

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

• act the wag you want others to act

avoid being rude to people

categorical imperative means that you should __________ , unless you want everyone to be rude to each other.

Immanuel Kant

proponet of categorical imperative

"Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals"

The categorical Imperative was proposed by German philosopher Immanuel Kant In his 1785 book __________.

absolute and unconditional

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

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.

• Implementing the categorical imperative can solve this problem, because it prompts individuals to consider the consequences of their actions when performed on a collective scale.

• panic buying and hoarding

How to use the Categorical Imperative

• Ask guiding questions

• Visualize everyone else acting the same way

• Consider the outcomes of everyone acting the same way

Future Actions

categorical imperative is primarily used when considering _____\\, it can also be used when assessing your past actions.

3 main formulations of the categorical Imperative

1. Formula of Universal Law and Formula of the Law of nature

2. Formula of Humanity as End in itself

3. Formula of Autonomy and Formula of the Realm of Ends

Formula of Universal Law

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

Formula of the Law of Nature

act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will a universal law of natures".

Formula of Humanity as End in itself

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"

Formula of Autonomy

• every rational being as a will giving universal law

• 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

Formula of the Realm of Ethics

• sometimes also as the Formula of the Kingdom of Ends

• Act in accordance with maxims of a universally legislative member for a merely possible realm of ends

Formula of the Universal Law

The best-known of these formulations is the first variant of the first formulation,

need for an authority criticism.

• proposed by German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer

• it can only rest 'on the presupposition of the human being's dependence on another will that commands him and announces reward and punishment to him,

• should be driven by compassion, but instead, its is driven by egoism

• kung walang kusa, walang mangyayari

inability to deal with evil criticism

• leads to issues such as powerlessness in the face of certain predicaments.

• Kant states 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.

Golden Rule

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

• directed at another person

3 main objections to the golden rule

• doesn't provide duties toward oneself

• it depends on personal tastes or desires,

• doesn't state duties to toward which one is strictly obligated.

objective principle

maxim is the subjective principle of the volition; the ___________ (I.e., that which would serve all rational beings also subjectively as a practical principle if reason had full control over the faculty of desire) is the practical law.

subjective principle

A maxim is the ________ for action, and must be distinguished from the objective principle, namely the practical law. The former contains the practical rule that reason determines in accord with the conditions of the subject (often its ignorance or also its inclinations) and is thus the principle in accordance with which the subject acts; but the law is the objective principle, valid for every rational being,

Imperative

formula of command and determination of action

Command of reason

representation of an objective principle, insofar as it is necessitating for a will

Hypothetical Imperative

• depends on some end goal or condition.

• "do not be rude, if you do not want others to be rude to you".

• Conditional, should only be obeyed if you wish to achieve some specific goal

Perfect Duties

one that must be followed, as it "permits no exception in the interest of inclination”

Imperfect Duties

allows some latitude, as "the law cannot specify precisely in what way one is to act and how much one is to do".

positive duty

an action that one should perform, such as cultivate talent

negative duty

an action that one should avoid, such as stealing.

deontological

Kantian ethics in general, and the categorical imperative in particular, are _________, meaning that they're based on the idea that actions can be inherently right or wrong (or alternatively permissible, required, or prohibited), based on some rules, independently of their consequences.

consequentialism

Deontology is often contrasted with ______, which suggests that the morality of actions is determined by their consequences, so that actions are morally right if their consequences are more favorable than unfavorable.

utilitarianism

deontology is often contrasted with _________, which is a type of consequentialism that suggests that actions are morally right if their consequences are more favorable than unfavorable for everyone, meaning that actions should seek to generate the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people.

Normative Ethics

ethics that are concerned with determining which actions are right and which are wrong, or which actions should be permitted and which should be forbidden.