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Chapter 5: What Matters Is The Motive / Immanuel Kant. ! image - Coggle…
Chapter 5: What Matters Is The Motive / Immanuel Kant. ! 
Kant’s Case for Rights
He published his first book, "The Critique Of Pure Reason", then published his philosophy book "Groundwork For The Metaphysics Of Morals" - one of the books is still discussed and applied for evaluating ethical basis today.
Kant criticized Utilitarianism because it violates personal freedom and rights. He argued that it does not respect individual morality and self. His belief and philosophy are people should be treated as an end, not mere means.
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What Is Freedom?
Kant's idea about freedom can be summed up in one word "Autonomy". The ability to act because of reason and not desire. As desires are based on circumstances that are not freedom.
Persons and Things
When we act heteronomously we are acting out of a desire for something else. "We act for the sake of ends given outside us."
When we are acting autonomously, we are doing some things for its own sake.
It is important to Kant to respect human dignity and treat people as ends themselves and not ends to a means. He means giving people respect and dignity without exploiting them or using them for personal gain.
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Morality and Freedom
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You can only be acting freely when you are acting in accordance with the two categorical imperatives. If your actions do not fall under the two rules, you are not truly free.
When your act is for an end outside of yourself your will is not determined by you, but by outside forces.
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You must act by your own law, autonomously.
This is a big objection to utilitarianism. When you are acting for the sake of maximum happiness you are not acting in the interest of moral law but instead a conditioned sense of duty.
Questions for Kant
Question 1: As a goal in itself, Kant's categorical imperative instructs us to treat everyone with respect. Isn't this similar to the Golden Rule?
Question 2: Kant appears to imply that doing one's duty and acting independently are the same thing. But how is this possible? Acting in accordance with one's responsibilities necessitates compliance with the law. How can obedience to a law be reconciled with liberty?
Question 3: What ensures that everyone will pick the same moral law if autonomy implies behaving according to a law I make up myself? Isn't it conceivable that various persons will have different categorical imperatives if the categorical imperative is the result of my will? Kant seemed to believe that we shall all agree on a moral code. But how can he be certain that different people would arrive at different moral laws based on their reasoning?
Question 4: Morality, Kant claims, must assume the shape of a categorical imperative if it is to be more than a matter of prudential calculation. But how can we be sure that morality exists if power and interests are at play? Can we ever be certain that we have the ability to act independently and freely? What if science proves that we don't have free will at all?
Sex, Lies, and Politics
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Kant and justice
Utility cannot be the basis of justice and rights because everyone has different views of what happiness is
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