To act morally is to do one's duty and one's duty is to obey the moral law
One should act out of duty, not emotion or feeling
"Ought implies Can"-moral statements are 'prescriptive'
Summum Bonum-ultimate end which humans seek, smaller ends must be pursued to lead to this, our souls are immortal as it can't be reached in this life
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The Moral Law
The objective moral law is known through reason
Statements of Knowledge-a priori analytic:knowable without reference to experience, a posteriori synthetic:knowable through experience using empirical measurements
Moral Statements are a priori synthetic-our knowledge of it is gained through pure reason-we may be mistaken, thus moral statements may be right or wrong.
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Good Will & Duty
Good Will is the highest form of Good-not dependent on consequences.
The Will is supremely autonomous and free. (Freedom is necessary for morality to be possible.)
A Good Will is one that acts out of duty alone.
Actions performed for the sake of duty have moral worth.
Duty is acting out of reverence for the law, which is objective and universal.
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The Imperatives
A Hypothetical Imperative is a requirement for something if you want to achieve something else: a means to an end.
Morality prescribes behaviour and the Categorical Imperative gives parameters to moral law.
The Categorical Imperative is universal: an end in itself.
The only actions to be followed are those that can be universalised.
Suggested morals that are only right in certain circumstances are not valid.
You must act as if you live in a kingdom of ends.
Humans should be treated as ends in themselves.
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Summary
K.E provides a powerful set of principles to enforce moral conduct that we would commonly accept, based on reason.
Treating people as ends in themselves underpins the idea of human rights.
Kant distinguishes duty from inclination so that our moral conduct does not become influenced by an individual subjective view.
The moral rightness or wrongness is intrinsic through a process of reason.
HOWEVER:
As moral situations differ, how are the parameters to be set to determine what is universalised?
There may be times when duties conflict.
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In Conclusion...
By basing his ethics on reason, Kant avoids dependence on a 'divine' natural law, or mystical Platonic Forms, to justify his deontological ethics.
Kant's theory upholds the concept of human rights.
There are some difficulties with the internal workings of the Categorical Imperative for it to be a complete success...
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Key Terms
A Priori Synthetic : moral statements as they are known before experience through reason and yet may be right or wrong.
Categorical Imperative : only acting according to universalisable principles, treating people as ends in themselves, and acting as if you lived in a kingdom of ends.
Deontological : ethical theories that focus on acts instead of consequences.
Duty : doing only that which is approved by the Categorical Imperative out of Good Will.
Good Will : the highest good; the impetus to follow duty rather than emotion or personal inclination.
Hypothetical Imperative : acting only if a specific outcome is desired and not otherwise.
Moral Law : an objective moral law known through the application of reason...
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