What Philosophy Is

Kantian Moral Philosophy

As you read the material for the next class, keep the questions below in mind. To answer these questions you will have to reflect critically on what you have read and possibly re-read important passages. Keep in mind that there are two basic kinds of information that you need to look for in the readings.

  1. What are the main points or conclusions that an author accepts with respect to a particular issue?
  2. What are the reasons or important considerations that lead the author to accept that conclusion?

For our purposes, it is information of the latter sort (2) that will be our primary concern since our most basic task is to evaluate the reasons that are offered to support accepting one possible conclusion about an issue, rather than another.

Although I strongly suggest that you write out brief answers to these questions, you do not have to turn in written responses. You do, however, need to be prepared to speak intelligently to these issues in the next class meeting. Also, it is reasonable to assume that the final exam’s questions will be drawn from these questions—particularly those in bold.

Readings:

  • Immanuel Kant, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals (handout).

Questions:

  1. Immanuel Kant gives an argument for the conclusion that the only thing that is good without qualification is the good will. What is this argument? In what sense is the good will “good” if not because of its effects or accomplishments? What is the “will” and what is its relationship to “practical reason”? What is the “holy will” and how does it differ from our will?
  2. What are “imperatives” and what is their relationship to the will? What are hypothetical imperatives and what is the structure of a hypothetical imperative? What is the relationship between hypothetical imperatives, the pleasant, and happiness? What is a categorical imperative and what is the structure of a categorical imperative? What is the relationship between the categorical imperative and the practical good?
  3. Around 4:417 and after Kant gives an argument that happiness cannot provide a foundation for morality. Why not? What is Kant’s conception of happiness?
  4. Around 4:428 Kant provides an argument to the effect that rational beings are valuable as ends in themselves. What does it mean to be an end, as opposed to a means? Why must rational beings be valued as ends? What is the difference between things and persons, dignity and price? How does this lead to the “humanity as an end formulation” of the categorical imperative?

 

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