Central to kants construction of the moral law is the. The only way that moral goodness can exist at all in the world is for rational creatures to apprehend what they should do and, acting from a sense of only thing that has moral worth. Kantian moral philosophers will find much to disagree with, but there is no doubt that the book raises important puzzles for kantian moral theory. The mathematical sublime results from the failure of the imagination to comprehend natural. The kantian legacy in content, kants ethical system is a continuation of christian religious teachings, specifically those of 18th century pietism, the accepted view in. Value of humanity in kants moral theory oxford scholarship. Kant, history, and the idea of moral development 61 unsocial sociability. That is, there are moral precepts which determine how men ought to behave, and these precepts do not depend on actual behavior. The humanity formulation of kants categorical imperative demands that we treat humanity as an end in itself. Kantian ethics main concepts introduction to philosophy. An ethical theory will provide criteria for determining whether an action is right or wrong, and it will claim that the actions meeting those. The moral of kant reads primarily in two major works. The resulting social antagonism leads to consequences that are so harmful that people will leave the state of nature for selfinterested reasons and create a state that. Pdf kantian naturalism in moral theory roberto mordacci.
Kant, immanuel internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Kant has three formulations of his categorical imperative. This is a mixed inclination to social interaction and to isolation and conflict. Kants moral philosophy is a conception of reason whose reach in practical affairs goes well beyond that of a humean slave to the passions. Kantian ethics refers to a deontological ethical theory ascribed to the german philosopher immanuel kant. Kant views it as an action that one is obliged to obey. For kant, moral knowledge is a prior, or existing before and in spite of the fact. Kant calls this general type of obligation a categorical imperative, that is, the action is imperative because it falls within a certain category. Moreover, it is the presence of this selfgoverning reason in each person that kant thought offered decisive grounds for viewing each as possessed of equal worth and deserving of equal respect. Kants theory is an example of a deontological moral theoryaccording to these theories, the rightness or wrongness of actions does not depend on their consequences but on whether they fulfill our duty. Using as nontechnical a language as possible, professor sullivan offers a detailed, authoritative account of kant s moral philosophy including his ethical theory, his philosophy of history, his political philosophy, his philosophy of religion, and his philosophy of education and demonstrates the historical, kantian origins of such important.
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. The foundation of a cosmopolitan condition of perpetual. It does this as part of an effort to assess the advantages of kantianism as opposed to utilitarian theory. For kant a good will is a broader conception than a will which acts from duty. Dignity and practical reason in kants moral theory 9780801497483. The concept of autonomy and its role in kantian ethics. This moral duty is grounded on the moral law and is supposed to be appropriate by other people in society. For kant, free actions are those that are based in an. The moral theory of immanuel kant is based on his concept of the good will. Kant believed that there was a supreme principle of morality, and he referred to it as the categorical imperative. Barbara mackinnon utilitarianism and kants moral theory ethical theory an ethical theory is a general theory about which actions are right or wrong, and why those actions are right or wrong. The justification for this supposition will appear shortly.
But where the utilitarian takes happiness, conceived of as pleasure and the absence of pain to be what has intrinsic value, kant takes the only thing to have moral worth for its own sake to be the capacity for good will we find in persons. Some commentators argue that kant s critical philosophy contains a third kind of the sublime, the moral sublime, which is the aesthetic response to the moral law or a representation, and a development of the noble sublime in kant s theory of 1764. In this paper, i sketch a kantian account of duties of rescue, which i take to be compatible with kants theory. Act utilitarianism au is the moral theory that holds that the morally right action, the act. It is not a hypothetical imperative, which tells you what you ought to do. Kant himself was well aware of this consequence of his theory, and he believed it to be correct. The most basic aim of moral philosophy, and so also of the groundwork, is, in kant s view, to seek out the foundational principle of a metaphysics of morals, which kant understands as a system of a priori moral principles that apply the ci to human persons in all times and cultures.
He rightly remarks that the passage addresses only cases in which one duty. Because this principle resonates with currently influential ideals of human rights and dignity, contemporary readers often find it compelling, even if the rest of kants moral philosophy leaves them cold. To determine the moral status of an action, utilitarianism has us look at c, deontology b, and virtue theory a. Kants later theory in the 1790s focused on legal, moral and ethicotheological cosmopolitanism. Thusif there were no rational beings, the moral dimension of the world would simply disappear. He was born in konigsberg, the ancient, sevenbridged prussian capital which became, in 1945 after deportation of most of the german population to the gulag archipelago, the bizarre russian baltic enclave of kaliningrad. He is equally well known for his metaphysicsthe subject of his critique of pure reasonand for the moral philosophy set out in his groundwork to the metaphysics of morals and critique of practical reason although groundwork is the far easier of the two to.
Kant believes that all people have intrinsic or inherent value. Kant pursues this project through the first two chapters. Summary and problems immanuel kant 17241804 is one of the most important and influential modern philosophers. In american culture, just to name one country, we are interested in and fond of rights. Kant and applied ethics is a stimulating attempt to assess the relevance of kantian theory for contemporary moral problems. I shall take as my starting point the supposition that, for an action to have any moral weight, it must be free. Utilitarianism, kantian ethics, natural rights theories. Although his family was poor, kant was educated in a good pietist school and attended the university of konigsberg from 17401747. The metaphysics of morals the critique of practical reason. The good will is unique in that it is always good and maintains its moral value even when it fails to achieve its moral intentions. The difference between kant and aristotle here can be traced to a difference over the nature of the will. He also edited kants theoretical philosophy after 1781 2002, with peter heath.
To elucidate what kant means by autonomy, and why it merits respect, it is worth sketching out kant s moral theory. He is equally well known for his metaphysicsthe subject of his critique of pure reasonand for the moral philosophy set out in his groundwork to the metaphysics of morals and critique of practical reason. Like utilitarianism, imannual kants moral theory is grounded in a theory of intrinsic value. Philosophy, he believed, is responsible for guarding this science. Utilitarians hold the moral agent responsible for outcomes that are neither foreseeable nor controllable. Kant applies the principle of humanity to cases 14 the principle of autonomy the law we are bound to obey must be the product of our own will as far as we are rational, i. Apr 21, 2009 kant based his moral theory on reason and thus the categorical imperative act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law hume on the other hand based his moral theory on emotion or subjective response to action. This paper addresses difficulties arising from kants distinction between perfect and imperfect duties and his claim that perfect duties have normative priority over imperfect ones. In any case, there is no requirement that ones ethical theory be based on a single principle. Kants ethical theory does not allow for moral dilemmas in this sense.
On the relation between kants moral theory and his aesthetic theory, see 7c below. Immanuel kant was born and spent his life in konigsberg, prussia, now kaliningrad, russia. Utilitarianism and kants moral theory phil 101 flashcards. Kant s moral philosophy is a conception of reason whose reach in practical affairs goes well beyond that of a humean slave to the passions. Nevertheless, there are such situations, which make the performance of such simple moral duty very difficult. The kantian legacy in content, kants ethical system is a continuation of christian religious teachings, specifically those of 18th century pietism, the accepted view in his time and place.
From 17471755 he worked as a private tutor for various families in the konigsberg area. The theory of strict justice contains external, enforceable, coercive, narrow, and perfect rights and duties. Kant was often ambivalent about the power of philosophy to affect the world. Aug 31, 2019 immanuel kant 17241804 is generally considered to be one of the most profound and original philosophers who ever lived.
Kant calls the moral demand to do this this categorica l to express that this imperative is. Kants moral philosophy stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Kant defines moral duty as a necessity of action caused by respect to the law. Dignity and practical reason in kants moral theory 1st. The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns matters of value, and thus comprises the branch of philosophy called axiology ethics seeks to resolve questions of human morality by defining concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong. The choice between consequentialist and kantian ethics is a dif. Barbara mackinnon utilitarianism and kants moral theory. Which in simple terms mean that we as human beings are held to a higher standard.
Kants is definitely not a moral knowledge theory, since he regards conscience as distinct from the faculty of moral judgment, which is as the sole source of the moral knowledge that is to be implemented in the process of selfexamination and associated motivation that is conscience p. Kant regarded the good will as a single moral principle which freely chooses to use the other virtues for moral ends. Some commentators argue that kants critical philosophy contains a third kind of the sublime, the moral sublime, which is the aesthetic response to the moral law or a representation, and a development of the noble sublime in kants theory of 1764. Kant based his moral theory on reason and thus the categorical imperative act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law hume on the other hand based his moral theory on emotion or subjective response to action. Utilitarianism, kantian ethics, natural rights theories, and religious ethics a utilitarian argument, in the strict sense, is one what alleges that we ought to do something because it will produce more total happiness than doing anything else would. Oct 07, 2011 kant and applied ethics is a stimulating attempt to assess the relevance of kantian theory for contemporary moral problems. There is a threepart division in his philosophy concerning the concept of the highest good and the future of humankind. The theory, developed as a result of enlightenment rationalism, is based on the view that the only intrinsically good thing is a good will. P1 if an act must be done for the sake of duty to have moral worth, then vickis acts of volunteering do not have moral worth.
Using as nontechnical a language as possible, professor sullivan offers a detailed, authoritative account of kants moral philosophy including his ethical theory, his philosophy of history, his political philosophy, his philosophy of religion, and his philosophy of education and demonstrates the historical, kantian origins of such important. We begin with an account of immanuel kants moral philosophy and its legacy to contemporary moral development theory. Utilitarianism takes no account of integrity the accidental act or one done with evil intent if promoting good ends is the good act. For example, suppose your friend is struggling in 8. These are the obligations to do certain types of actions. Start studying utilitarianism and kant s moral theory phil 101. Moreover, some prominent specialists in kants ethics recently have turned. Kant lays out the case for his moral theory in groundwork for the metaphysics of morals 1785, critique of practical reason also known as the second critique. Dec 06, 2019 conditions of this moral duty respond to all principles of kants theory of moral duty. An ethical theory will provide criteria for determining whether an action is right or wrong, and it. Kants moral theory can be categorized as a deontological theory, due to his belief that you have a moral duty to fulfill kant 114. Utilitarianism, kantian ethics, natural rights theories, and. The most basic aim of moral philosophy, and so also of the groundwork, is, in kants view, to seek out the foundational principle of a metaphysics of morals, which kant understands as a system of a priori moral principles that apply the ci to human persons in all times and cultures. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
If every human has intrinsic worth as kant believes, then. The most influential interpretation of kants ethical thought in the last thirty years has been in terms of constructivism. What matters for virtue theory, more specifically, is the character of the agent. 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. According to kants perception of moral duty, this phenomenon is necessary to discuss from both aspects. Duties imply rights, and rights imply legitimate expectations. Kants moral theory and demandingness alice pinheiro walla penultimate version, forthcoming in. Kant sought after criticism of pure reason, to found an a priori science of behavior and morality, thus answering the question. Immanuel kant 17241804 is generally considered to be one of the most profound and original philosophers who ever lived. For kant, the will seems to be something that can be insulated completely from natural influences and inclinations. German philosopher immanuel kant 17241804 was an opponent of utilitarianism. What you should know about kants ethics in a nutshell. I argue that there is in fact no trumping relation between imperfect and perfect duties but merely that latitude shrinks away in. Start studying utilitarianism and kants moral theory phil 101.