Flashcards
Kantian Ethics
Cards in this deck (16)
- 1Who does Kantian Ethics derive from?Immanuel Kant and his most famous work on ethics 'The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals'.
- 2The first of Kant's claims?That 'ought' implies 'can'. You can only be morally responsible for things that are in your power. If you really cannot perform an action than it cannot be morally required that you do it.
- 3Second of Kant's claims?That your own feelings are not under your direct control. Only your will is yours to command. You can't just turn off a desire for something but you can decide whether or not to act on that desire.
- 4The third of Kant's claims?That to do the right thing is to have a good will and to have a good will is to do your duty simply because it is your duty
- 5The fourth of Kant's claims?That if you act out of 'inclination', then your act has no 'moral worth'. This applies not just to selfish inclinations, but also to apparently altruistic desires to help other people.
- 6Kent's fifth claim?Hence our moral duties do not depend on our desires. They apply 'categorically', i.e, whether or not our desires are furthened by obeying them
- 7What are hypothetical imperatives?Commands that prescribe what to do in order to achieve some goal, eg, 'come with me if you want to live'
- 8What are categorical imperatives?Commands that prescribe acts that are obligatory even if they in no way further your goals. eg, 'don't steal. Kant claims moral duties are expressed in categorical imperatives.
- 9What is THE categorical imperative?The fundamental principle of morality that grounds all our particular duties. There are several formulations of the categorical imperative.
- 10What is the 'universal law' formulation of the Cl.'I ought never to act except in such a way that i can also will that my maxim become a universal law.'
- 11What is a maxim?The principle upon which I act, or the reason I am acting on. if the maxim of your proposed action can be willed to be a universal law, then the action is permissible.
- 12Which two ways can a maxim fail to be universalisable in two ways>1. Contradiction in conception (contradiction in the idea of everyone abiding by the maxim in question)
2. Contradiction in the will (contradiction between willing that the maxim be one that everyone abide by and something else that you necessarily will as a rational being) - 13What is Kant's 'perfect duty'?One that gives no scope for choice in how it should be performed, eg, not lying
- 14What is Kant's 'imperfect duty'?One that is no less binding, but which requires us to choose exactly how and when to comply, eg, 'you must help others'.
- 15What is the 'formula of humanity'?;Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means but always at the same time as an end'
- 16How can the formula of humanity be interpreted?-We should respect other people
-We should respect ourselves in the same way
-We should, to some extent, assist other people to achieve their goals and increase their happiness
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- WHM Philosophy Flashcards on Kantian Ethics, created by Emma Lloyd on 11/05/2018.
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- Emma Lloyd
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