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"Kantian Ethics" by XingTian
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the rightness or wrongness of actions does not depend on their consequences but on whether they fulfill our duty
This is a book outlining the Kant Categorical Imperative
-Xingtian
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The primary formulation of Kant's ethics is the categorical imperative, from which he derived four further formulations. Kant made a distinction between categorical and hypothetical imperatives. A hypothetical imperative is one we must obey if we want to
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satisfy our desires: 'go to the doctor' is a hypothetical imperative because we are only obliged to obey it if we want to get well. A categorical imperative binds us regardless of our desires: everyone has a duty to not lie, regardless of circumstances
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and even if it is in our interest to do so. These imperatives are morally binding because they are based on reason, rather than contingent facts about an agent. we cannot opt out of the categorical imperative because we cannot opt out of being rational.
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Universalizability
Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.
For Kant, an act is only permissible if one is willing for the maxim that allows the action to be a universal law by
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which everyone acts.
For example, If one would argue that the maxim 'I will not give to charity' produces a contradiction in the will when universalized because a world where no one gives to charity would be undesirable for the person who acts by themaxim
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Kant's second formulation of the Categorical Imperative is to treat humanity as an end in itself:
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 as a means
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Kant argued that rational beings can never be treated merely as means to ends; they must always also be treated as ends themselves, requiring that their own reasoned motives must be equally respected. This derives from Kant's claim that reason motivates
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morality: it demands that we respect reason as a motive in all beings, including other people. A rational being cannot rationally consent to be used merely as a means to an end, so they must always be treated as an end. Kant justified this by arguing that
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moral obligation is a rational necessity: that which is rationally willed is morally right. Because all rational agents rationally will themselves to be an end and never merely a means, it is morally obligatory that they are treated as such. This does
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not mean that we can never treat a human as a means to an end, but that when we do, we also treat him as an end in himself.
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Formula of Autonomy
Kant's Formula of Autonomy expresses the idea that an agent is obliged to follow the Categorical Imperative because of their rational will, rather than any outside influence. Kant believed that any moral law motivated by the desire to
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fulfill some other interest would deny the Categorical Imperative, leading him to argue that the moral law must only arise from a rational will. This principle requires people to recognize the right of others to act autonomously and means that, as moral
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laws must be universalisable, what is required of one person is required of all.
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The final formulation of Kant's Categorical Imperative is the Kingdom of Ends:
A rational being must always regard himself as giving laws either as member or as sovereign in a kingdom of ends which is rendered possible by the freedom of will.
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This formulation requires that actions be considered as if their maxim is to provide a law for a hypothetical Kingdom of Ends. Accordingly, people have an obligation to act upon principles that a community of rational agents would accept as laws. In such
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a community, each individual would only accept maxims that can govern every member of the community without treating any members merely as a means to an end. Although the Kingdom of Ends is an ideal, the actions of other people and events of nature ensure
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that actions with good intentions sometimes result in harm- we are still required to act categorically, as legislators of this ideal kingdom.
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Thank you for reading. If you enjoy, these books can be found in the bookstore at bookstore in front of college.