rush: natural law + kant

natural law theory

• the theory that God designed human nature with the ability to know general moral precepts

• this is part of humans’ telos of glorifying God by following his moral law

natural law

• moral code that comes from the orientation towards good built into our nature by God 

synderesis

• innate sense of right and wrong that God designed humans with

synderesis quote

• Synderesis is what allows us to intuitively know that ‘good is to be done and pursued and evil is to be avoided’ (First Principle of Natural Law) 

primary precepts definition

• five fundamental principles that are derived from the idea of ‘doing good and avoiding evil’, and guides humans towards fulfillment of what God wants from humans 

list primary precepts

• Preserve human life 

• Reproduce 

• Educate 

• Live in an orderly society 

• Worship God 
  

secondary precepts

• specific moral rules that are derived from the primary precepts using reason (prudentia)

• many are found in the bible

doctrine of double effect

• Some actions have two effects- one that goes against the primary precepts, and one that aligns with them 

kants approach

aimed to ground morality in reason rather than emotion or consequence, as these principles would allow for universal agreement

categorical imperative

• what you should do in all cases

• kant says only categorical imperatives are valid since they are not contingent on personal feelings or circumstances

kants book

groundwork of the metaphysics of morals (1785)

what are the three formulations of the categorical imperative

• tests that show whether a moral maxim is to be accepted as universal law/ test to see if an action can be considered to be your moral duty 
  

1st formulation

• principle of universal law

• ‘act only according to that maxim’ that can be done by everyone without creating social or moral conflict

• ensures actions are consistent and universally applicable

2nd formulation

• humanity as an end

• ‘always as an end and never merely as means’

• kant argues everyone deserves respect as a rational being, and so should not be exploited for personal gain

3rd formulation

• kingdom of ends

• kant argues that everyone should act as if they are part of a asociety where everyone follows kant’s ethics

contradiction in will

• imperfect duty

• maxim could exist universally but no rational person would desire to be part of such world

• kant uses the example of someone who refuses to help others

contradiction in nature

• perfect duty

• maxim could not be universailsed because the practice would collapse

good will quote

• good will shines forth like a precious jewel

good will meaning

• having the intention to act out of moral duty, not for personal gain, recognition, or pleasure

• it is valuable because the moral worth of an action comes from the principle behind it, rather than its consequences

three postulates

• god

• free will

• afterlife

• these must be true in order for ethics to be valid

kant’s postulate of an afterlife

• In our present world, good people who carry out their duty may not find ultimate happiness in this world 

• Therefore, Kant argues that we must postulate the existence of an afterlife where virtuous people are rewarded and unvirtuous punished 

• Reward in the afterlife is the ‘summum bonum’ 

kant’s postulate of god

• We must assume God exists, if there is summum bonum for virtuous people who carry out their duty, there must be a just God 

three criticisms of kant

• struggles to resolve situations in which duties are conflicting

• insistence of always carrying out your duty is too rigid, and disregards the relevance of morally signficant consequences

• relies on the assumption god exists

struggles to resolve situations where duty is conflicting

• satre depicts this problem with the example of a soldier who can either go to war to defend their country, or stay at home to care for their sick parent 

• Both actions satisfy Kant’s Three Formulations of the Categorical Imperative, and therefore both actions are part of the soldier’s duty 

• However, the soldier can’t do both 

• Kant states that “ought implies can” meaning we can only have a duty to perform an action if it is possible for us to do so. 

• If two duties genuinely clash: One cannot be fulfilled. Therefore, it cannot truly be a duty. 

• If both duties were derived using the Categorical Imperative, then Kant’s method has failed to correctly identify moral obligation. 

• insistence of always carrying out your duty is too rigid, and disregards the relevance of morally signficant consequences

• moral rules are categorical, and so your duty to carry out that moral rule is absolute 

• kant’s book, he says lying is always morally wrong as it would lead to the collapse of honesty, trust and promises 

• perfect duty

• benjamin constant’s example of The Inquiring Murderer shows how consequences matter in decision- making, and an ethical theory that ignores consequences will produce harmful outcomes 

• Additionally, refusing to lie to a murderer may be seen as treating your friend as a mean rather than an end. This contradicts the 2^nd Formulation 

• relies on the assumption god exists

• directly undermines Kant’s aim of establishing morality purely on reason 

• must assume that there is an afterlife where Summum Bonum can be achieved, since in this present world perfect duty and perfect happiness do not align 

• a just God must exist who wishes for virtuous people to be rewarded for performing their duty whilst on Earth 

• kant fails to create an ethical framework that is truly secular or universally applicable, and it may fail to guide those who do not accept these postulates 

• your moral effort seems pointless if you reject the existence of God and an afterlife, so the theory fails to motivate everyone 

where does kant’s three postulates come from

• critique of pratical reason (1788)

bonhoeffer quote

‘the man who acts from duty will end by having to fulfill his obligations even to the devil’