PHIL 118 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Immanuel Kant, Categorical Imperative, Universal Law
28 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
Enlightenment
Newtonian revolution
Discovery of laws to explain nature
Grounding of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785) - first major text on ethics
Maxims: rules that dictate duty and right action (P. 19)
Focus on principles behind action
Morality is universal, cannot change from person to person
Maxims must be based on reason
Nature works according to laws (P. 23)
Will: part of self that has reasons or makes choices
Will follows commands
Command expressed is called an imperative
Imperative: (P. 25)
Hypothetical: Means to an end
Categorical: "Act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your self a
universal law" (P. 30)
Will & Reason: Natural inclinations
Will uses reason. Categorical imperative is required, end in itself. Done through reason. "do unto
others how you want them to do with you"
Question of exceptions:
P.31 - borrow money
Just because everybody pays the money back, one person doesn’t need to do because
he is allowed to be an exception. However, if everybody thought this way, the system would
collapse. This isn't a right thing for him to do.
It means that he is not doing the action for an end in itself. He's using others as a means
to another end.
Kant explains we must treat others not as pure means but also as ends in itself.
Humans all have reason - must have ends in self.
Categorical Imperative: individual has an end, treat others as ends and want to be
treated as ends as well.
Kingdom of nature:
Laws of nature are parallel to laws of morality
In kingdom of ends, all follow laws of morality
Abstract ideal, should be moving towards it
Nature can be mapped on to ethics
Autonomy & Heteronomy
Split will into 2
Autonomy: has choices, has law to itself, follows laws for sake of itself
Heteronomy: will chooses laws for other reason or purpose
Cannot appeal to individual happiness -> happiness is not equal to morality
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Document Summary
Grounding of the metaphysics of morals (1785) - first major text on ethics. Maxims: rules that dictate duty and right action (p. 19) Morality is universal, cannot change from person to person. Will: part of self that has reasons or makes choices. Categorical: "act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your self a universal law" (p. 30) Just because everybody pays the money back, one person doesn"t need to do because he is allowed to be an exception. However, if everybody thought this way, the system would collapse. This isn"t a right thing for him to do. It means that he is not doing the action for an end in itself. He"s using others as a means to another end. Kant explains we must treat others not as pure means but also as ends in itself. Humans all have reason - must have ends in self.
