Kantian Ethics (Lecture 6)

Question 1

Who was Immanuel Kant?

Answer 1

-18th century German philosopher
- not a relativist
-Believed in the existence of a moral law
-Believed all humans are equipped with reason and will
-Reason determines whats right and wrong

Question 3

What is “Will”?

Answer 3

Will is what allows us to actually act upon what logic tells us is right
It guides our behaviour

Question 4

What does it mean to act on or because of good will?

Answer 4

You do the right thing because its the right thing, not accidentally or because you were told to , not for self-benefit, etc
It acts from duty, not according to duty

Question 5

Is this theory deontological or consequentialist?

Answer 5

Deontological

Question 6

What does Kant say about people’s wants?

Answer 6

-Varies from person to person
-Not universal
-Wants are not the product of reason
-Wants are therefore not relevant to ethics

Question 7

What is universal in the Kantian ethical theory?

Answer 7

Reason

Question 8

What are ethical laws the product of?

Answer 8

Reason and not wants

Question 9

What is the categorical imperative?

Answer 9

It is one ethical law that underlines all of ethics
What must be done in all situation

Question 10

How did Kant express this categorical imperative?

Answer 10

Universalisation
Respect for persons

Question 11

What is Universalisation?

Answer 11

One of the ways Kant expresses his Categorical Imperative
-tells you to only act from personal rules that you think most people would will to be moral laws
-similar to the golden rule
-if everyone acted the way you want to, would it still be a good thing? If yes, then ethical

Question 12

Why is Kant’s universalisation approach to the categorical imperative similar but not the same as the golden rule?

Answer 12

Golden rule states “treat others the way you want to be treated”, which holds the same idea of only doing something if all rational people would agree with that act, BUT uses the word “want” which is irrelevant to ethics in Kantianism

Question 13

What is Respect for Persons?

Answer 13

Emphasizes the need of treating people as an end, not as a means to an end
-people are equal, free, rational beings with their own goals and purposes that deserve their freedom and choices
-someone who has will can see that everyone else has a similar will and everyone should respect everyone else
-dont use people for your own benefit, not even for the benefit of others (fat guy trolley problem)

Question 14

How do Kantians decide how to act?

Answer 14

1) propose a personal rule that they wish to act on
2) either through universalisation or respect for persons, they must decide it that rule is ethical (is it something every rational person would will as a moral law?)

Question 15

How do Kantians determine what is unethical?

Answer 15

Unethical behaviour usually stems from making an exception for yourself
-doing something you wouldn’t normally will for all others to do
-you cannot break a universal rule just because you’ll get away with it or because you think you have a valid reason

Question 16

What’s the weird thing about Kantianism?

Answer 16

There are no actual rules, just an agreed upon procedure that says you should all they to the same universal rule if you are rational
-the agreed upon law may be stupid or not very effective, but if its what is agreed upon universally, then that is what is ethical

Question 17

What is the Kantian stance on punishment?

Answer 17

A way of respecting teh individuals choice
-they chose to break the law, they are also indirectly choosing the consequences
A crime deserves punishment not necessarily because it is wrong but because the individual broke a universal law
-punish to uphold the integrity of the law