For NJosh Only

KANTIAN ETHICS

 

German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was an opponent of utilitarianism.  Leading 20th century proponent of Kantianism:  Professor Elizabeth Anscombe (1920-2001).

 

 

Basic Summary:  Kant, unlike Mill, believed that certain types of actions (including murder, theft, and lying) were absolutely prohibited, even in cases where the action would bring about more happiness than the alternative.  For Kantians, there are two questions that we must ask ourselves whenever we decide to act:  (i) Can I rationally will that everyone act as I propose to act?  If the answer is no, then we must not perform the action.  (ii)  Does my action respect the goals of human beings rather than merely using them for my own purposes?  Again, if the answer is no, then we must not perform the action.  (Kant believed that these questions were equivalent).

 

Kant’s theory is an example of a deontological moral theory–according to these theories, the rightness or wrongness of actions does not depend on their consequences but on whether they fulfill our duty.

 

Kant believed that there was a supreme principle of morality, and he referred to it as The Categorical Imperative.  The CI determines what our moral duties are.

 

the following is an exerpt from the notes of  Professor Eric Barnes ...

Morality and imperatives:  What does it mean for one's duty to be determined by the categorical imperative?

What is an imperative?  An imperative is a command.  So, "Pay your taxes!" is an imperative, as are "Stop kicking me!" and "Don't kill animals!"

Hypothetical Imperatives:  these imperatives command conditionally on your having a relevant desire.  E.g. “If you want to go to medical school, study biology in college.” If you don’t want to go to medical school, this command doesn’t apply to you.  Another example, your father says, "if you are hungry, then go eat something!" - if you aren't hungry, then you are free to ignore the command.

Categorical Imperatives:  These command unconditionally.  E.g. “Don’t cheat on your taxes.”  Even if you want to cheat and doing so would serve your interests, you may not cheat.

  What is the connection between morality and categorical imperatives?  Morality must be based on the categorical imperative because morality is such that you are commanded by it, and is such that you cannot opt out of it or claim that it does not apply to you.

How does the categorical imperative work?  The categorical imperative has three different formulations.  That is to say, there are three different ways of saying what it is.  Kant claims that all three do in fact say the same thing, but it is currently disputed whether this is true.  The second formulation is the easiest to understand, but the first one is most clearly a categorical imperative.  Here is the first formulation.

1) First formulation (The Formula of Universal Law):  "Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time

Utilitarian - http://www.iep.utm.edu/util-a-r/