Kant Flashcards
Deontology
- Greek “Deon” - Duty/obligation
- “Right” prior to “Good”
- Rationality and Autonomy
What is a Duty
Practical requirement or obligation to do something, or refrain from doing something
- Source of moral concepts not external concepts
Duty and Obligation
- Apply to all rational beings with absolute necessity
- Only actions done from duty are morally worthy
- Unconditional and without exceptions
- Cannot derive an OUGHT from an IS
What are imperatives?
- Ought statements
- Law of reason for constraining the will
- Positive - good to do/perform some action
- Negative - good to refrain from doing some action
What is the hypothetical imperative
Practical necessity of some action (i.e the means) to achieve a desired goal (i.e., ends)
- Contingent and Prudent
- EX. Doing well on a paper, If someone wills an end, and IF reason has decisive influence on action then someone also wills steps necessary to achieve desired ends
- Depend on having a hypothetical end, a goal
- Need to take practical actions to reach a goal
- Don’t just need goal, but need steps as well
- Contigent with desires
What are categorical imperatives?
- Moral obligation derived from pure reason
- Moral requirements/duties - inescapable, unconditional and good-in-itself
- Will conforms to reason - not contingent upon desires, preferences, motivation, etc
Ex: keeping your promises - Don’t need steps
- We need to do unconditional
What is the Universal Law Formula of the categorical imperative?
This principle is synonymous with the idea that we should
only act in way that we would want others to act. Some call it
following the golden rule; Kant called it this.
- Maxim = Moral rule/principle of action
- Wrong to create exceptions for yourself
What is the principle of humanity?
It is wrong to treat persons as “mere means”
- Treating a person as a tool to achieve you ends
- Okay if person volunteers
- We should treat rational persons as ends-in-themselves
