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Kantian Ethics - Coggle Diagram
Kantian Ethics
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kants three formulations
universal law
kant suggests that the action we propose should be able to be made a universal law
we have to consider whether this is something that all people could logically do if not we shouldnt put ourselves above the law by being an exception
e.g. if everyone were to steal this would be chaotic and illogical - so stealing doesnt make sense and thus shouldnt be an expection
persons as ends
kant believes that human beings are rational and autonomous
this means that we have a duty to treat each other as persons and not as we would treat an object
we can use objects but we ought not to use people
e.g. using a partner to make an ex jealous - in doing so you are treating them as a means to en end
kingdom of ends
kant asks us to imagine that we are part of the law making council in a hypothetical perfect kingdom of ends
if we were to live in this place where everyone always treated others as ends would our maxim or proposed action be something that could be permitted?
kants kingdom of ends asks you to act based on how society ought to be rather than how it is hence it is difficult to see how hitting back someone who hit you would be treating them as an end
applying kantian ethics
lying to murderers
the hypothetical case of a murderer asking if his next victim is hiding in a certain house
according to kants maxim of universalisation we are morally required to tell the truth
kant argues that we will have done our duty in doing so it is the murderer not us that is behaving immorally
my sisters keeper
in the film my sisters keeper anna is born by ivf in order to be a genetic match for her terminally ill sister kate
one of her kidneys is to be used for transplant as her sisters kidney is failing
this would be problematic for kantian ethics as this involves using anna as a means to an end
kantian ethics values persons - they are not just a commodity that can be used
charity
much of our moral decision making is based on how we feel
as we watch tv or scroll through our news feed we may on two different ways see almost identical charity appeals
on one occasion we may give as we are moved by the suffering yet on another day we may feel indifferent
for kant this makes no sense either it is our duty to help others where we can or it is not
kantian ethics is entirely rational and seeks to make decisions based on logic and not emotions - our emotions are too inconsistent to give is clear moral duties
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Kant and duty
good will
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kant argues that it doesnt matter if we are prevented from carrying out our intentions - what matters is that we aim to do the right thing
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duty
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in order to see what duty is it is worth looking at two things that kant says duty is not
- doing the right thing out of self interest or because of possible consequences is not duty - a shopkeeper who charges customers fairly just because he figure it is good for business is not doing his duty
- doing the right thing out of inclination is not duty - we may feel moved to give to charity one day but not the next so inclination is a poor guide of what we should or shouldnt do
- duty is that which we rationally work out that we ought to do
- our emotions and possible consequences are irrelevant
- one way to understand this is to think of a profession where there are duties
- kant believes that all human beings have moral duties that they must act upon just because they are human beings