Immanuel Kant

Why did Immanuel Kant reject utilitarianism?

it bases morality on consequences and happiness, which he thought were uncertain and morally irrelevant; he argued that morality must be grounded in duty and rational moral law, not in producing good outcomes

Is Kantian Ethics an intrinsic or an extrinsic theory of the relationship of morality and human reality?

intrinsic

Is Kantian Ethics a purely teleological or a purely deontological theory?

deontological

What does Kant emphasize about human nature and how does this differ from the utilitarian approach?

kant emphasizes that humans are rational beings with inherent dignity who must be treated as ends in themselves, while utilitarianism treats people mainly in terms of how their happiness or suffering contributes to overall utility and also that both people and animals strive for pleasure in absence of pain

What is the only thing that is good in itself, for Kant?

good will

Why does Kant pay little attention to desires, in his ethical approach?

desires are changeable and subjective, so they can’t provide a reliable basis for morality, reason makes the will good

Why is autonomy important for Kant’s ethical approach?

you’re actively conforming to your own duty (meaning making a law for yourself), people are rational and capable of autonomy to act in a way that conforms to their own ideals

What determines whether an action is morally worthy for Kant? How do the cases of the calculating shopkeeper and the moral misanthrope illustrate this distinction?

it is morally worthy based on the agent’s motives, the person must be acting out of duty, ie. shopkeeper charges right price due to preserving store’s brand vs. due to feeling duty to charge all people the same price, ie. moral misanthrope is more morally correct because they are acting out of duty rather than amiable altruist who acts out of inclination to help others

What determines what duty requires, for Kant?

categorical imperative (standard for moral action) which is a universal, unconditional law regardless of the consequences

What is a categorical imperative, and how does it differ from a hypothetical imperative?

hypothetical imperative is “if, then” reasoning, ie. if you want a good grade, then you should study, called a hypothetical because it doesn’t apply in every situation (if you don’t want a good grade then don’t study)

What is the first formulation of The Categorical Imperative? What does it mean?

act only on that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law (the rules governing everyone else in similar circumstances), ie. promise keeping, lying

What is the second formulation of The Categorical Imperative? What does it mean?

you should treat people and yourself as an end not as a means to an end

How do these formulations explain Kant’s response to suicide and his treatment of the pursuing murderer case?

suicide is always wrong because it violates the second formulation because you can’t use people as an end to a means, killing oneself means sacrificing one’s own humanity as a means to get to an end

Do human rights play a more important role in utilitarianism or in Kantian Ethics?

kantian because Bentham doesn’t think human rights are a thing but mill disagrees, kant also says human rights are based in human dignity and rationality

What questions about Kantian Ethics do Kant’s writings on anthropology raise?

they can be applied broadly, but he personally believed there were hierarchies of people (ie. white men at top, natives at bottom) which is a problem because maybe he didn’t really mean everyone

Do consequences play a greater role in Kantian ethics or utilitarian ethics?

utilitarian, utilitarian ethics judge actions based on the consequences and whether they produce the greatest good, while kantian ethics focus on duty and intention rather than outcomes

Why is the test case “Brother Herman’s Bequest” relevant for both utilitarianism and Kantian Ethics?

money from a sibling who died do you give money to soup kitchens or to the addict brother?

1. utilitarianism would say soup kitchen (greatest good for greatest number)

2. kant would say brother because it’s your duty