Topic 3c +3d: The Categorical Imperative + Kant’s Examples of Moral Dilemmas

A priori vs a posteriori (and examples)

A priori: independent of experience → Kant argues moral law is A priori (it is a principle not dependent on empirical facts)

A posteriori: dependant on experience → empirical beliefs (based off our perceptions and our perceptions of the world are experimental)

How does Kant get from the good will to moral law?

He thinks morality has to be valid for all rational beings

• the fundamental principle of morality cannot include anything empirical

• The moral law must be a purely formal principle of morality

What are we left with after taking everything empirical out of morality?

We are left with;

• the moral law is normative

• The moral law it universal

Element 1: The Moral Law is Normative

To say that the moral law is normative is to say that it is action guiding

Principles that are action guiding are sometimes called imperatives → instructions to behave in a particular way

Kant: morality is a kind of imperative

Hypothetical vs categorical imperatives

Hypothetical: conditional → “in order to do A, you must do B”

Categorical: unconditional, a command → “you must do A”

Element 2: The Moral Law is Universal

Since the moral law is universal, then it cannot be conditional

• it must apply to everyone regardless of what they want

What is the Categorical Imperative?

A command that must be able to be universally willed

Maxim

A subjective principle of the will that describes a person’s motivation

It includes what the person is doing and the motivation for doing it

Problems with the categorical imperative

Identifying an action’s maxim is hard → Kant doesn’t provide clear guidance

It is not always clear whether a maxim can be universal

Sometimes deeply problematic maxims can be universalized

Sometimes non-problematic maxims can’t be universalized