Principles of Ethics 445N

Follow-Up Post Peer Response

Please write a minimum of five complete sentences for your one peer posting. You should also consider referencing some information from the course textbook, lecture lessons, or a scholarly source to help support your written response post.

Writing Requirements

• Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
• APA format for in-text citations and list of references

Youtube Video: PHILOSOPHY: Immanuel Kant

Please find information related to Immanuel Kant below.

Immanuel Kant was born in what is known today as Kaliningrad, Russia. He was known for publishing sixty-nine philosophical publications. Kant was not only a philosopher and teacher; he was also a chair in the field of mathematics. He was a believer in morals and doing what was right. This philosopher was also known for having multiple diseases over the course of his life (Fellin & Ble, 1997).

During the course of his life, Immanuel Kant wrote about human socialization and how antagonism can impact humans and society. For instance, Immanuel Kant blames “man’s own absurd natural predispositions” for his own problems (Valdez, 2017, p. 827). Some of these problems consisted of barbaric behavior as well as war. This was difficult for Kant. As a moral philosopher, Immanuel Kant believed in doing the right thing. Similarly, Kant believed in peacebuilding. Thus, building trust was a great way to maintain peace (Yu, 1998).

Kant also believed that there were times when individuals were confident in their ability to be among others in society. He also believed that there were times when individuals felt isolated from the same society that they often enjoyed engagement. Moreover, Kant believed that autonomy was a necessary part of human nature (Pirc, 2018). Like, Aristotle, Immanuel Kant believed in respect and dignity for human life. This connectedness stemmed from a common thread that Kant labeled as the formula for humanity. This philosopher furthered believed in two distinct domains as it related to the categorical imperative. One of these was the doctrine of right. The other distinct domain was referred to as the doctrine of virtue (DiCenso, 2019).

Kant’s categorical imperative was one method of illuminating this message. In other words, people mattered. According to Ruggiero (2012), they should never be used as a means to someone else’s end. “To treat people “as an end” means, on the most superficial level, treating them well. We must promote their welfare, respect their rights, avoid harming them, and generally “endeavor, so far as we can, to further the ends of others” (Rachels & Rachels, 2019, p. 147).

Needless to say, cruelty and evil exists but Kant believed that it was important for people to act morally. At times; however, Kant viewed human beings as animals.  Kant argued, “that if we develop a habit of treating animals cruelly this will damage our character and ultimately lead to inappropriate treatment of other human beings” (Skidmore, 2001, p. 541). In essence, a moral duty to do what was right was a big part of Kant’s mantra.

Attached is a video that communications are more related to the philosophy of Immanuel Kant (The School of Life, 2015).

Youtube video name: PHILOSOPHY: Immanuel Kant

References

DiCenso, J. J. (2019). Kant on ethical institutions. Southern Journal of Philosophy, 57(1), 30–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjp.12314

Fellin, R., & Ble, A. (1997). The disease of Immanuel Kant. The Lancet, 350(9093), 1771-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(97)03202-9

Pirc, G. (2018). Kant and critical hermeneutics. Phainomena, 27(106), 183-205. https://doi.org/10.32022/PHI27.2018.106-107.9

Rachels, J., & Rachels, S. (2019). The elements of moral philosophy. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781260213003/

Ruggiero, V. R. (2012). Thinking critically about ethical issues. Mc-Graw Hill.

Skidmore, J. (2001). Duties to animals: The failure of Kant's moral theory. Journal of Value Inquiry, 35(4), 541. 

The School of Life. (2015, November 13). Philosophy: Immanuel Kant [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/nsgAsw4XGvU

Valdez, I. (2017). It's not about race: Good wars, bad wars, and the origins of Kant's anti-colonialism. The American Political Science Review, 111(4), 819-834. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055417000223

Yu, A. J. (1998). Immanuel Kant's perpetual peace and contemporary peacekeeping. Peacekeeping & International Relations, 27(2), 14-17.

Example of a peer post response that you can use as a guide.

I enjoyed reading the comments that you shared in your initial post as it relates to female circumcision. Valid points were shared related to the world view you held. For example, I appreciated reading information that you wrote related to subjective moral relativist. Also, you shared good information related to the steps that you would take as to whether you can assist the surgeon. Allow me to share some additional insight as it relates to female circumcision as well as my thoughts related to cultural relativism. It is true that equality exists when examining cultures and societies based on a cultural relativist perspective. According to Rachels and Rachels (2019), “Different cultures have different moral codes” (p. 14). As a nurse, my Hippocratic Oath is to do no harm (El-Gibaly et al., 2019). Since female genital mutilation (FGM) is illegal in a country like the United Kingdom (Bourne, 2018), my cultural beliefs would be in opposition to assisting the surgeon. This is where our views differed.

From your perspective, is it possible to adopt the views of another culture and still remain true to your own beliefs?

References

Bourne, J. (2018). Guarding against female genital mutilation. Primary Health Care ), 28(1), 18. https://dx.doi.org/10.7748/phc.28.1.18.s19

El-Gibaly, O., Aziz, M., & Salma, A. H. (2019). Health care providers’ and mothers’ perceptions about the medicalization of female genital mutilation or cutting in Egypt: A cross-sectional qualitative study. BMC International Health and Human Rights, 19.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12914-019-0202-x

Rachels, J., & Rachels, S. (2019). The elements of moral philosophy. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781260213003/