Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
(1785)
- Moral agents are
rational animals. Morality is grounded
in reason - not experience.
-
Ethical standards are objective and
universally binding.
-
Kant's ethics are based on his
categorical imperative. There are two
versions of the Categorical Imperative:
a. "Act
only according to a maxim by which you
can at the
same time will it should become a
universal law."
(FMM 39 / 368)
b. "Act so that you treat humanity,
whether in your own
person or in that of another, always
as an end and never
as a means only." (FMM 47 / 369)
-
Only a good will is
good without qualification. 366
Your will is good
when you:
a. Act on a rule that
you can will for everyone.
b. You act from duty alone. 367
Deontological Ethics - deon means duty in Greek.
It must conform
to, and be done for the sake of, the
moral law.
We're obligated to the categorical
imperative
because it's intrinsically right.
Ignore the consequences.
Acting for pleasure and consequences has no moral
worth.
c. Don't use
people.
A rational being is
an end in itself.
Always treat people as an end - never as a means.
Man is not an inanimate
thing.
Determine Ethics
Collaborate:
Kant's ethical theory is called
deontological. It ignores the
consequences, and looks at the motive. Consequentialist
ethics looks at the consequences, and
ignores the motive. For them right acts
produce pleasure and avoid pain.
Exercise 1:
Come up with examples where ignoring the
consequences is absurd.
Come up with examples where ignoring the
motive is absurd.
Exercise 2:
Look at the following examples and
determine if they are deontological or consequentialist:
a. Terrance is engaged to Jessica - who
is cheating on him. Terrance's best
friend Phillip knows about Jessica, but
when Terrance asked for his advice,
Phillip lied. He doesn't tell his friend
the truth because he doesn't want to
ruin the wedding.
deontological or consequentialist
b. Although Phillip doesn't want to ruin
the wedding, he tells Terrance the truth
because lying is immoral.
deontological or consequentialist
c. Phillip tells Terrance the truth
because Phillip is secretly in love
with Jessica, and he wants to get
Terrance out of the way.
deontological or consequentialist
d. Phillip lies to Terrance
because Phillip is the one who is having
an affair with Jessica.
deontological or consequentialist
e. While Jane and Rod are
on vacation, their house is vandalized.
Their son lies, and tells them
everything is alright because he doesn't
want to ruin their trip.
deontological or consequentialist
f. Your doctor knows your spouse is HIV
positive. Should he tell you the truth?
Was your answer
deontological or consequentialist?
g. Intel realizes that their new chipset
has a problem. They decide to recall
their product - at a coast of hundreds
of millions of dollars.
deontological or consequentialist
What do you think they should have done?
Was your
answer deontological or consequentialist?
h. Every year thousands of people die
waiting for an organ transplant. Should
we pass a law that makes it legal for
hospitals to harvest the organs of any
healthy citizen who has passed away -
regardless of their wishes?
Was your
answer deontological or consequentialist?
i. Dr. Jack Kevorkian argued that we
should harvest the organs of death row
inmates who have been executed. What do
you think? Should we:
I. Give them a choice, and harvest their
organs if they approve.
II. Don't give them a choice, and
harvest their organs.
III.
Don't give them a choice, and don't
harvest their organs.
Was your answer
deontological or consequentialist?
j. When our pets are suffering, and
death is inevitable, we put them to
sleep. Should we give people the same
choice?
Was your answer
deontological or consequentialist?
k. Should we clone people with their
consent?
Was your answer
deontological or consequentialist?
l. Should we genetically engineer
people?
Was your answer
deontological or consequentialist?
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My Means <
Your Means is a Beautiful Act |
| |
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My Means =
Your Means is a Moral Act |
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My Means >
Your Means is an Ugly Act |
PROBLEM
John Stuart Mill argued that Kant is
considering the consequences, but Kant
is referring to the inconsistency and
contradiction of irrational rules only.
369
Happiness is the
satisfaction of the sum total of your
desires.
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...
in this idea of happiness all
inclinations are combined into a
sum total. ... yet men cannot
form under the name of
'happiness' any determinate and
assured conception of the
satisfaction of all inclinations
as a sum, (p1066, sec399) |
|
Intuition (not reason)
is the best faculty for happiness
(p1063, 1078).
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...
if ... happiness, were the end
of nature ..., then nature would
have hit upon a very poor
arrangement in having ... reason
... carry out this purpose. ...
[Happiness] could have been
attained much more certainly by
instinct ... . The more a
cultivated reason devotes itself
to ... happiness, the further
does man get away from true
contentment. Because of this
there arises in many persons ...
a certain degree of misology,
i.e., hatred of reason. This is
especially so in the case of
those who are most experienced
in the use of reason ... they
... find that they have only
brought more trouble on their
heads ... they come to envy,
rather than despise, the more
common run of men who are closer
to the guidance of ... instinct
and who do not allow their
reason much influence on their
conduct (p1063, sec 395). |
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"Instinct never
suffers the confusion of reason," said
Joe Weider.
Is the
examined life worth living?
