Kantian Ethics

kant and duty

what are the problems with teleology

what does a priori mean

knowlegde which can be known through reason

what does a posteriori mean

knowledge based on senses and experience

kant bases morality on xxx knowledge

a priori

kant and reason

the thing that makes humans unique is our ability to reason

we all have reason so if we use it correctly we should all end up agreeing what is moral

reason and the moral law

there is an objective moral law which we can know through reason

morals are not connected to things like pleasure or situation but are universal - applicable to everyone and they do not change

if we follow our desires when making decisions we are n better than animals

what do kants views on reason and morality imply

good actions are done out of a good will

for kant what is good will

good without qualification

unconditional and intrinsically good

not good based on anything else

a good wills only motive is to ‘act for a sake of duty’

quote about good will being the only thing good without qualification

kants shopkeeper example

a shopkeeper keeps his prices the same for everyone so its fair but we cant assume hes doing this with good will/duty

why is the shopkeeper example not showing duty

what is deontology

the rightness or wrongness of action is determined by the action themselves

is kantian ethics deontological or teleogical

deontological

what is a maxim

the rule that we are following when we perform an action

what does imperative mean

a command - tells you what you ought to/should do

what is a categorical imperative

must be followed/not optional

they are followed because the action is intrinsically good for all

not got any personal reward or consequence

what is a hypothetical imperative

tells us what to do if we want something to happen

a command to achieve a desired result

example of a categorical/hypothetical imperative pair

do not lie (C)

do not lie if you want people to trust you (H)

what kind of ethical approach uses hypothetical imperatives

teleological

how do we work out what our duty is

we should devise a maxim based on the decision and then put it through tests (the three formulations)

if it fails one it is NOT moral

what are the three formulations

the formulation of the universal law

the formula of ends

the formula of the kingdom of ends

what is the formulation of the universal law

what is a contradiction to the law of nature

contradiction in the law of nature - suicide

contradiction in the law of nature - making false promises

what is a contradiction in the will

a state of affairs would occur that no rational person could desire

contradiction in the will - neglected talents

contradiction in the will - helping others

what is the formula of the end in itself

kants waiter example - formula of the end in itself

formula of the universal kingdom of ends

what is perfect duty

a duty which one must always do

we cannot add any expectation

what is imperfect duty

obligations to pursue general moral ends, but they allow flexibility in how and when they are fulfilled

axe man analogy

what are postulates

things that must be assumed for morality

what are the 3 postulates

ought….

implies can

postulate of freedom

it is essential that humans have free will

ought implies can

if a person is ought to do x the they must be able to do it

H.J Paton - are we truly free

kants suumum bonum

postulate of immortality

issue with the immortality and god postulate

does this not mean ultimately we do have a reward so we will never truly act on duty alone because we all want to be rewarded after death

postulate of god

what does kant think about his postulates

clash of duty response - jean paul satre

what do we do when there are two duties we are obliged to

kants response to satre

these are both imperfect duties - both important but both have different ways of fulfilling them

hire a nurse and join the forces or stay and care for mother while working in a factory to support war effort

W.D. Ross’ approach

philipa foots response to kant

she argues what is missing from kants account is an adequate explanation of our motives and desires

only hypothetical imperatives can give us a reason to act but kants categorical imperatives takes no account of motives

she suggets we should not be conscripts forced to be virtuous but rather volenteers

J. Habermas’ response to Foot

humes response to kant

assumes all humans are capable of making rational decisions with being affected by emotions

assumes emotion is not as important as reason

reason should only serve the the desires and emotions of a human

basing morality purely on reason with no place for actions made because of sympathy or compassion is cold and inhumane - doesn’t fit with how humans live/act

hegels response to kant

he placed too low a value on special relationships