Overview
The lecture provides an overview of Kant's moral philosophy, focusing on the foundational principles, key concepts like duty, good will, autonomy, the Categorical Imperative, and debates on normative and metaethical interpretations.
Aims and Methods of Moral Philosophy
- Kant seeks to identify the foundational principle of morality, applicable universally and a priori (independent of experience).
- Morality is rooted in reason and autonomy, not empirical observation or external authority.
- Kant distinguishes between phenomena (what we experience) and noumena (things in themselves) to reconcile free will with causal determinism.
Good Will, Moral Worth, and Duty
- Only a good will is good without qualification, independent of consequences or desires.
- Moral worth arises when actions are performed from duty, not from inclination or self-interest.
- A good will acts solely out of respect for moral law.
Duty and Respect for Moral Law
- Duty involves motivation from respect for moral law, not outcomes or social codes.
- Moral requirements are universally valid and expressed in the formula: act only on maxims that could be universal laws.
Categorical and Hypothetical Imperatives
- Categorical Imperative (CI): an unconditional, universal moral command.
- Hypothetical Imperatives: conditional commands based on willed ends.
- Maxims are subjective volitional principles; morality evaluates the will behind actions.
The Formula of the Universal Law of Nature
- Moral reasoning involves adopting maxims only if they can be universalized without contradiction.
- Duties are categorized as perfect (no exceptions) or imperfect (exceptions allowed).
- Examples: refraining from lying (perfect duty), developing talents (imperfect duty).
The Humanity, Autonomy, and Kingdom of Ends Formulas
- Humanity Formula: treat humanity always as an end, never as a mere means.
- Autonomy Formula: act as if your will were a legislator of universal law.
- Kingdom of Ends: act according to principles acceptable to a community of rational agents.
Unity and Equivalence of Formulas
- Kant claims all CI formulations are equivalent in prescribing the same duties, though expressed differently.
Autonomy
- Autonomy is self-legislation; moral authority arises from rational will, not external sources.
- Moral laws are binding because they are self-imposed by rational agents.
Non-rational Beings and Disabled Humans
- Basic moral status depends on rational capacity, but debates persist over the status of those with severe cognitive disabilities.
Virtue and Vice
- Virtue is strength of will to fulfill duty; vice is principled immorality.
- Virtue is grounded in moral principle, not habits or emotions, and is distinct from classical views (e.g., Aristotle).
Normative Ethical Theory
- Kant distinguishes perfect/narrow duties (justice, rights) and imperfect/wide duties (ethics, virtue).
- Moral judgment requires applying principles to concrete circumstances.
Teleology or Deontology?
- Kant’s ethics is typically seen as deontological: rightness is not based on goodness of outcomes or character traits.
- Some scholars interpret Kant teleologically, arguing rational agency or autonomy is itself a value grounding morality.
Metaethics
- Debate exists whether Kant is a moral realist, constructivist, or something else.
- Constructivists see moral law as the product of rational deliberation; realists attribute it to objective value in rational nature.
Key Terms & Definitions
- A priori — knowledge or justification independent of experience.
- Categorical Imperative (CI) — universal, unconditional moral law determined by reason.
- Maxim — a subjective principle guiding an action.
- Autonomy — self-governance; acting on laws one gives oneself.
- Perfect Duty — strict obligation with no exceptions.
- Imperfect Duty — obligation allowing discretion in how it is fulfilled.
- Phenomena/Noumena — things as experienced vs. things as they are in themselves.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review Kant's Groundwork for further examples of duties.
- Reflect on the differences between categorical and hypothetical imperatives.
- Prepare examples of maxims and test them using the universal law formula.