kant past paper questions

What is meant by the word 'deontological'?

he word deontological means that acts are tight or wrong depending on the type of act that they are (Duty Ethics)

State two formulations of the Categorical Imperative.

The Categorical Imperative is a test for identifying morally commendable motives. Two of these are "The Universal Law Formulation" and "The Means End Formulation".

What is contradiction in conception?

Contradiction in conception is when something cannot even be conceived. (EG: Everyone should make false promises).

What is meant by a perfect duty?

A perfect duty is a duty that does not allow exceptions. Kant gives two of these: do not kill yourself and do not lie.

What approach does Kant use to decide what maxims should guide our actions?

Kant uses the Categorical Imperative which aids to provide a formulation in which we can apply our human reason to determine what is the right / rational thing to do.

This involves the Universal Law Formulation, which states that we must universalise our maxims from "I will" to "Everyone must always"

The Means End Formulation, which states that we should not use people and must always respect the rational autonomy of others.

The Kingdom of Ends Formulation which states that we should act like lawmakers who are already citizens.

According to Kant, we have an imperfect duty to help those in need. What is the difference between a perfect and imperfect duty?

Kant has two perfect duties which do not allow exceptions. These are to not kill yourself and to never lie. These trump everything.

Kant has two imperfect duties which do allow exceptions. These are to work at bettering yourself and always help others in need.

According to Kantian ethics, why do we have a duty to help the poor?

One of Kant's imperfect duties is to help others in need, meaning that we should always step in to help those who are less fortunate. Further, the Means End Formulation states that we should not use people and respect their rational autonomy, therefore adding on to the fact that we should respect other people.

What is meant by 'contradiction in conception'? Give an example to support your answer.

This means something cannot even be conceived. For example, everyone should always make false promises.

What is meant by 'contradiction in will'? Give an example to support your answer.

This is a maxim which is seen as irrational and cannot be followed. For example, everyone must always refuse to help others in need.

In Kantian ethics, there are two reasons why you may not be able to universalise a maxim. Explain these two reasons and state why in each case it is not possible to universalise the maxim.

Due to "Contradiction in Conception" as the maxim is irrational and cannot be applied.

Due to "Contradiction in the Will" as the maxim cannot even be conceived.

In an exam, a student wrote the following - "If what Kant said was correct then my neighbour should not have called the fire brigade when his house went on fire. He used the firemen as a means to put the fire out and Kant said 'you should never use someone as the means to an end.'"

Critically evaluate what the student has written.

In this instance, the fireman is the means to the end of a fire. Kant states that we should never use someone for our personal gain and use their rational autonomy against them. Although, the fireman's job is to put out a fire and Kant's belief does not apply to jobs. The fireman is being paid, therefore being rewarded for their efforts rather than used. Using someone for their personal gain could be, for example, if you told someone to eavesdrop on a conversation which you aren't involved in and have the person report back to you what is being said. The fireman putting out the fire is someone doing their job and saving someone else's life. This also applies to Kant's imperfect duty which is to help those in need, making it the fireman's duty.

State three criticisms of Kant's moral theory.

It could be objected that we should value actions that make people happy over well intentioned ones that don't. Sometimes it appears better to consider consequences. For example, telling someone their outfit is nice, even if you do not like it will make the person much happier than if you said you disliked it.

Further, there could be a conflict in duties. The Categorical Imperative could recommend mutually incompatible maxims, for example "Always keep promises" and "Never tell lies."

There could be other motives other than duty, such as love and kindness. In Kant's eyes, it seems he would think there is something wrong with a father who plays with his children out of love rather than duty.

14. Kant claims we have imperfect duties to help other people and to develop our own talents. Is Kant's concept of imperfect duty useful when making moral decisions?

Kant's imperfect duties are to help others in need and work at bettering ourselves. These can be useful in making moral decisions as we can make decisions with the objective to improve as people. For example, if someone has experienced a heartbreak, they can work on healing themselves and the upset they have faced rather than wallowing in it, which in turn will improve them as people.

Also, helloing others in need is useful to consider when making moral decisions as considering the consequences of our actions.Although, Kant believes that we should not base our decisions over consequences and sometimes this can lead to others going 'unhealed' or being upset at the outcome of a situation.