Kantian Ethics Scholars

“act only according to that maxim...that should become a universal law”

Kant - maxim

“To do goods to others, where one can, is duty”

Kant - duty

“the moral law within me”

Kant - moral

“through all our knowledge begins with experience”

Kant - experience

“thinking beasts”

Aristotle

“human reason is limited, we require God’s revelation”

Barth - Negative

human fallenness

• reason limited

Augustine - Negative

Our moral thinking is the product of subconscious drives produced by our upbring

• morality more instinctive than reasoned

Freud - Negative

Agape love is the best motivation

Fletcher - Negative

“an eye for an eye”

Exodus - Negative

punishment should be rehabilitative

• change their behaviour for the good

Bentham - Negative

“I find myself drawn into a vicious circle”

Sartre - Negative

theory basis for the UN Declaration of Human Rights

Kant - Positive

moral principles

• clear & objective framework, fairness and justice

John Rawls - Positive

Too much emphasis on the duty of individuals, disregarding practical limitations

David Hume - Negative

Individual autonomy

• attractive theory for promoting human agency

Christine Horsgaard - Positive

Deontological approach

• contrast to relapse nature of order ethical systems, subject and difficult autonomy

W.D. Ross - Positive

doesn’t always account for the messy, emotional realities of life, challenging to apply in practical contexts

Bernard Williams - Negative

Human rights theories

• respecting autonomy of individual is fundamental

Thomas Pogge - Positive

fails to take into account the complexities and nuances of real-life moral dilemmas

Elizabeth Anscombe - Negative

(Utilitarian) ignoring consequences leads to decisions that are detached from real-world impact potentially causing harm despite the best intentions

John Stuart Mill - Negative