Ethics

Ethics Study Guide goodwill. Kant felt that morality could not be confused with self-interest, regardless of how enlightened the interest. Major tenets of Kant’s moral theory include: 1. Personal aut nomy : People are capable of self-rule. People make their own choices, whereas things cannot choose for themselves. People use things. People should not use other people because it denies their personal autonomy. 2. Value of intentions (acts)/consequences : Value lies in intention, not in consequence. If people have the right motives, they have no liability in the outcome because they had the right intent. If their actions render a favorable consequence, they cannot accept credit for the outcome. Therefore, individuals may neither accept praise nor blame for consequences. Categorical Imperatives One of Kant’s best-known topics is the Categorical Imperative . An imperative is a command that tells us to exercise our wills in a particular way. According to Kant, there are two types of imperatives, categorical and hypothetical. Hypothetical imperatives are based on individual desires; for example, “if I want to pass the test, I ought to study,” is not a moral imperative because it is contingent on a want, and can be avoided by changing the desires. Categorical imperatives, however, are based on rational thought and are universal in nature. They are things everyone ought to do, no matter what the conditions. It is the categorical imperative that is a basic principle of Kantianism. Kant uses the categorical imperative as the ultimate test of morality in any situation. He assumes that every voluntary act is based upon a maxim of one kind or another. A maxim is a moral statement or rule of universal truth that the will of an individual uses in making a decision. Kant’s search for the supreme principle of morality began with the concept of a categorical imperative that generated the first formula and maxim. First Formulation – The Formula of Universal Law and Nature Maxim: We are never permitted to commit any act that we cannot will as a universal/natural law. Moral obligations are universal; that is, they are unconditional and apply to everyone. One way to test the morality of any act would be to consider whether you are able to will it for everyone. To will something universally is similar to willing it as law, since law has a degree of universality. Kant observed that all of nature seemed to follow a universal law (e.g., birth, life, death). He saw a harmony in all living things that he felt could be duplicated by human beings. He viewed nature as a system governed by laws. Therefore he thought that we should always ask whether an action is a universal law of nature. In the first formulation, he discusses how moral reasoning decisions are made. To understand why one makes a decision to act in a certain way, the following considerations must be made: (a) Would ©2018 Achieve Page 28 of 116