Life & Context
What is Kant's First Name?
Immanuel
What does Deontology mean?
universally acceptable rules, true w/o exception, not dependent on conseqences
What is acting out of duty?
the moral obligation to act according to rational, universal principles rather than personal desires, feelings, or consequences
How is the Categorical Imperative different to the Hypothetical Imperative?
CI: Do X
HI: If X, then Y.
An axe murderer comes to your door asking for the location of a friend hiding in your house. As a follower of Kant, do you lie to save your friend or tell the truth?
tell the truth
Where was Kant born?
Königsberg, East Prussia
(now Kaliningrad, Russia)
What is the opposite of deontological ethics? Explain what it is.
Teleological Ethics.
(Consequentalism)
Fill in the blanks - "Acting out of duty is the same thing as acting according to the XXXX XXXX"
Good Will
How many formulations of the Categorical Imperative are there?
Three
A trolley is speeding towards five workers. You can flip a switch to divert it to another track, where it will kill one person.
As a follower of Kantian ethics, do you act (pull the lever) to cause one death but save five, or do nothing (let the five die)?
Kant would forbid pulling the lever in the trolley problem, as it treats the one person as a mere means to save others, violating the "Formula of Humanity"
Who was the biggest sceptic to reason before Kant?
David Hume
Deontology comes from the Greek word deon. What does deon mean?
Duty
Why is acting out of duty so important to Kant?
-disregard personal motive
- no ulterior motive other than doing good
What is the purpose of the categorical imperative?
Kant's test for knowing whether an action is good or not
In a scenario where someone seeks your opinion on their new outfit, even if you believe it doesn't look good. As a follower of Kantian Ethics, what would you do?
What was the cultural and intellectual movement Kant was famous for?
Explain a deontological theory that is not Kantian Ethics
- Natural Law
- W.D. Ross
- Divine Command Theory
Explain why acting out of duty does not always make an action moral
Because you may doing your duty if you are following rules that are immoral/unethical.
Explain the formula of the end in itself
it is wrong to treat people as an end.
treat people as 'end in themselves'
Should it be a moral law to live a comfortable life instead of cultivating your talents? Should I live in pleasure and neglect my natural talents? Answer in a Kantian perspective.
Kant says this cannot happen, since, as a rational being, it is necessary that all our capacities be developed. to neglect our talents is not a universal law.
What was the year Kant was born? (Three-Year Leeway)
1724
Explain the link between a priori knowledge to deontology and ethics.
- we can only establish the necessity of a moral law through a priori reasoning,
- the moral law should not be contingent on any other hypothetical situations; it has to be unconditional in all circumstances.
- We can reason that all moral laws must be universal.
Kant famously said that nothing is better than our goodwill. Name Kant's book/work that said that.
The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals.
Explain the kingdom of ends.
representing an ideal, systematic union of rational beings guided by universal moral laws
each one will treat all others as being ends in themselves, instead of mere means to achieving one's own pursuits
For Kant, can a truly divine command violate the moral law?
(For Help: Think of the Binding of Issac)
No. A truly divine command would not violate moral law. Abraham was morally wrong to obey a divine command to sacrifice his son. Kant asserted that immoral acts, such as murder, can never truly originate from God.