Using Your Reason, Part 2 Kants Deontology
What is the first instantiation of the Categorical Imperative? State it and explain it.
Always act so that you can will that your maxim can become a universal law
What does it mean that it is Categorical?
Absolute applies to everyone, everywhere at all times
What does it mean that it is Imperative?
You have a duty to do it
What is a maxim?
The principle rule for the action
What does Kant say is the only thing that can be called ‘good’ without qualification? Explicate.
A goodwill, will to do the right thing because it's the right thing to do
What is the second instantiation of the Categorical Imperative?
Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of another, always at the same time as an end and never simply a means
What is the difference between instrumental and intrinsic value?
Instrumental has a price, useful to you
intrinsic gets value from itself, dignity, gives things value (rational beings)
Explicate the second instantiation of the Categorical Imperative with respect to the employer/employee relationship.
Can be ethical or unethical, the danger arises if we stop respecting people for what they do and reduce them in our minds to mere tools for our comfort or success, as long as the relationship is reripricol no harm is done
In what way might this relationship violate the Categorical Imperative
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What is the Kingdom of Ends? What is the difference in price and dignity?
An ideal
price instrumental value (useful to you)
dignity instrinsic value (give things vaule)
What does it mean for Kant that rational beings can be autonomous?
People who agree to the method of the categorical imperative are autonomous lawmakers, they set laws for themselves that when universalized become acceptable to every other being
Explain what autonomous means?
To self legislate, generate own moral maxim
How does being autonomous relate to rationality?
Through pure reason alone we generate our duty
How does being autonomous relate to morality?
What is moral is rational
Explicate how the text explains how the Categorical Imperative is used to determine whether or not an action is immoral or moral. (Use the notion of lying, breaking a promise, or stealing in order to explain.) In other words, use the Categorical Imperative to determine whether or not lying, breaking a promise, or stealing is moral or immoral with respect to how the text explains.
This method of determining whether an action is moral or immoral regardless of context or situation is known as an a priori method. That is Latin for ‘to the prior’ and it means that one can determine the morality of an action prior to knowing the context or the situation.
1. Ask yourself what you want to do
2. Turn into maxim or principle of action
3. Universalize it