PHI 2200C Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Categorical Imperative, Universalizability
Document Summary
If you are honest and get caught, that is fine. If you are doing the right thing but your motives are selfish, that is practical. We are distinguishing pure morality from it. Self-love isn"t wrong, but it doesn"t deserve moral credit: good will, foils. Foil- someone that is against what kant has to say. Aristotle- self-help, to be moral, happiness- kant- nothing wrong with that but that is not what we are doing and is irrelevant. Mill- utilitarian (justify everything by the advances of goods- the most goods the most numbers). You can"t make everyone happy and please everyone but if the end result is good (even if you have to do something bad) you are fine. Newton- for every action, it must be an opposite and equal reaction. Everything that we do is determined by outside forces. In that sense, we have no freedom and responsibility. If newtons physics is correct, there is no such thing as morality.