normative Ethics- Kantian deontological ethics

Question 1

25 mark plan:
assess Kants deontological ethics

Answer 1

intro: kant DE is not convincing account of morally right or wrong actions.
define: categorical imperatives, good will

para1: kants theory “its ok to steal” leads to contradiction in conception.

Para2: against changing maxim

response to response: “its ok to steal to save ur life” an honest maxim can be universalised w/out contradiction.

para4: against, ignores consequence/utilitarianism.

kants response: always act in concordance with good will.

response to response: clearly other values besides good will (duty/good will)

conclusion: kants deontological ethics fails. doesn’t proved clear rules + ignores consequences + other valuable motivations for actions.

Question 2

what’s Kants a ‘good will’

Answer 2

good represents the only ‘pure’ good in the world + it is the source of all moral value.

Question 3

Deontology meaning

Answer 3

Comes from greek deon: which is necessary (obligation or duty). combines with -ology we get the science of that which is necessary or the science of duty

Question 4

kants good will argument- pursue and ends

Answer 4

most of us pursue ends that we think of as ‘good’ these could be happiness intelligence ect. Kants argument- ‘goods’ can sometimes be bad.
eg- someone may gain happiness from torture.
End- no end we pusure can be thought as morally good itself only if they’re accompanied by result from a good will = good will is the source of good

Question 5

good will - duty

Answer 5

good will acts for the sake of duty. willing the action you are not motivated by a particular end or goal but duty to do the right thing = acting in accordance with moral law
it’s the motive not the consequence in assigning moral worth = deontological

Question 6

acting in accordance with duty versus acting out of duty

Answer 6

• sometimes u can do the right thing (aicwd) but if u have the wrong motive then the act has no moral worth
•sometimes u can be motivated by both sense of duty and another where duty and interest coincides but as long as you are motivated then the act is a good act

Question 7

kants example - acting in accordance w duty versus acting out of duty

Answer 7

shopkeeper- who does not rip customers off cos he wants good reputation. kants- actions are not moral. not ripping customers off is the right thing to do so he is acting in accordance for the moral law but for his reputation. as such his act has no moral worth
contrast - consider poor shopkeeper who is struggling to make ends meet. this shopkeeper understands that being honest is the right thing to do so doesn’t rip off customers for this reason. in this case act is carried out of duty so has moral worth

Question 8

hypothetical imperatives

Answer 8

this type should depend upon you having a certain goal. (e.g. if you want tea you should boil the water. the first part of the statement gives us the condition we aspire to, second part tells us what we should do to meet this condtion. The ought is conditional upon the desire-which not everyone will have.)

Question 9

categorical imperatives

Answer 9

For kant moral law should apply to everyone regardless of particular desire . (E.g. you ought to keep your promises.-the ‘if you want x’ bit of the imperative disappears leaving you with only ‘you ought to do y’. this imperative tells us we have a certain onligation or duty regardless of the consquences. = categorical is the sort of ought that kant regards as the only genuinely moral ought.

Question 10

imperatives and reason

Answer 10

kant believed as rational beings if we genuinely have the desire + the imperative is sound then we are rationally commited to follow it. likewise with categorical imperatives reason reveals that there are certain ways we should act + as rational beings we have duty to act on the imperatives. (kant has been acused of overlooking weakness of the will)

Question 11

what is the first and second categorical imperative

Answer 11

1) only follow rules that u could wish everyone would follow

2)humanity formula = act in a way that u would always treat humanity (don’t use people)

Question 12

universalisability test

Answer 12

=procedure for making moral decision
core idea, when we make any moral decision we must ask ourselves whether everybody else could do the same thing in similar circumstances. Kants words= we are making a maxim + working out whether it could become universal law.

Question 13

maxim

Answer 13

another word for general rule or principle, e.g. dont drive over 30mph in the town centre’,’dont run in the corridor’.

Question 14

golden rule

Answer 14

compared the categorical imperative to golden rule, traditional moral idea ‘only do to others what you would have them do to you.’
key differences- golden rule arises out of self-interest categorical imperative arising out of pure rational consideration.

Question 15

(perfect) and imperfect duties

Answer 15

perfect duties- ‘do not kill’‘do not steal’.
their universalisation involves logical contridiction called a contradiction in conception for we cannot imagine a worldin which moral rule the core concepts retain any sense of meaning or coherency. Kants example of perfect duty= ‘do not make deceitful promises’.

Question 16

imperfect duties and moral responsibility

Answer 16

kant disguishes between duties to ourselves + others as well as to others. If a person does not aim to improve themselves them in many ways they cannot fulfil the various duties they might have towards others. Kant argues that humans have an imperfect duty to develop their talents + not let them go to waste through laziness. e.g if we didnt have builders houses couldnt be built; therefore those with talent for building should develop it accordingly.
However becomes difficult to universalise such duty to justify.So the duty to develop ones talent is an imperfect one.

Question 17

second formulation of the categorical imperative

Answer 17

second form illuminates futher the kinds of duties + obligations people have to other people. most influential aspect of kants moral theory as it confirms many ordinary intuitions humans have about treating other people + helps in discerning what forms of moral action might be acceptable as they affect other peoples lives. presents second formulation as:
so act as to treat humanity both in your own person + in the person of every other always at the same time as an end never simply as a mean. (humanity formula)

Question 18

means and mere means

Answer 18

Kants differentiate between treating someone as a means and a mere means. E.g. if i ordered a taxi to work in the knowlegde im simply using a taxi driver to get to a place does this count as using them as a means? the former is acceptable so long as interactions between people involved are accepted as demonstrating mutual respect for eachother in their actions. TF taxi example: if i refused to pay the driver would be using them as mere means. But if we both agreed on a price, paid the driver could reasonably say i treated the driver as an end + had not violated the second formulation of the CI.

Question 19

strengths of kantian ethics

Question 20

strength- objective and universal

Answer 20

No ifs or buts in kants moral theory.presents moral laws apply universally + impartially so theres no cases when a persons self interest is routinely allowed to subvert the principles put forward.
Compared to utilitarianism, where peoples happiness is constantly weighed + judged. In this way theres an attractiveness to the idea that no one is above the moral law.

Question 21

reasoned

Answer 21

the centrality of reason to kants ethical theory attractive element it reinforces potential for it to be objective + universal but also means that anyone who possesses a good degree of reason can grasp moral laws it presents + understand their validity in different situations.

Question 22

emphasis on human dignity

Answer 22

in previous section on utillitarianism that consequence-based ethical theories can have difficult time accommodating the idea of human rights. but kants second formulation establishes a strong foundation for natural or human rights in siputating that no human being should be treated as a means only an end. important element of kants ethics.

Question 23

emphasis on autonomy

Answer 23

Kants ethics is on the basis of human beings having free will + autonomy. important + the emphasis kant places on having the right intentions potentially highlights an important aspect of morality: the need for people to not simply perform the right action, but also for the right reasons. Futhermore, there is not one defined end for all action such as happiness. people can pursue whatever they wish so long as its accodrance with the moral law + infomal duties such as requirement to develop ones talent potentially endorse individuals working towards ideals exemplified in their personality + ability.

Question 24

issues with maintain deontological ethics
1. Are consequences really unimportant
the case of the inquiring murder