Deontology and Kantian Ethics

Vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental terms and concepts in deontology, divine command theory, and Kantian ethical philosophy.

Duty

An act or task that an individual is required to perform, connected to obligatory and impermissible actions.

Ethical Duties

Duties that a person must perform based on morality, distinct from legal or institutional requirements.

Legal Duties

Tasks required by law, such as renewing car registration or paying taxes, which are distinct from moral duties.

Deontology

An ethical theory that evaluates the morality of an act on the basis of the morality of the act itself rather than its consequences.

Deontological Schema

The framework asserting that an act is moral if it is motivated by one of an agent's duties.

Code of Hammurabi

An ancient Sumerian law code written on clay tablets that mixes practical legal matters with moral obligations without treating them as separate.

Divine Command Theory

The ethical view that God's commands are what directly make actions morally right or wrong.

Divine Information Theory

The view that God is the source of knowledge or information about what is right or wrong, rather than the entity that creates moral facts by decree.

Euthyphro Dilemma

Plato's argument against divine command theory that asks whether what is holy is holy because the gods approve it, or if the gods approve it because it is holy.

Immanuel Kant

An 18th-century Prussian philosopher from Königsberg who sought to unify rationalism and empiricism and developed a foundation for deontological ethics.

Maxim

A general rule of action that an individual intentionally adopts and consistently lives by over time.

Hypothetical Imperative

A conditional rule or command that applies only if an agent desires a particular outcome or end.

Categorical Imperative

An unconditional moral command that applies universally to all rational beings regardless of their specific desires.

Humanity Formulation

Kant's formulation stating that one must act in such a way as to treat humanity, whether in oneself or in others, never merely as a means, but always as an end.

Treating Someone as a Mere Means

Using another person solely as an instrument to accomplish one's own goals without their informed and voluntary consent.

Treating Someone as an End

Respecting a person's intrinsic worth by adopting or supporting their goals, plans, and intentions.

Consent (Kantian Context)

An agreement given voluntarily and with adequate understanding to participate in an activity or proposal.