Understanding Immanuel Kant's Moral Philosophy: Persons, Duty, and the Kingdom of Ends - P, Study notes of Introduction to Philosophy

Download Understanding Immanuel Kant's Moral Philosophy: Persons, Duty, and the Kingdom of Ends - P and more Study notes Introduction to Philosophy in PDF only on Docsity! ­­­­­ PRINT THIS ­­­­­ MORE KANT  LESSON FIVE STUDY GUIDE In Lesson Five we are continuing our study of Immanuel Kant.  Kant’s moral  philosophy remains one of the dominant views of ethics in the western  world.  So, it is very important to understand his views.  One of the issues will be  thinking about the manner in which his phenomenal­noumenal distinction underlies his  ethical theory.  Two of the questions we will consider are the following:  What is Kant’s  view of persons and the manner in which persons should be treated?  In what sense is  Kant’s ethical theory applicable in contemporary life?    GOALS OF THE LESSON One goal of the lesson is for students to demonstrate the ability to recall and describe the defining characteristics of key concepts and arguments in the text readings. A second goal is for students to demonstrate the ability to analyze and evaluate philosophical concepts or arguments presented in the texts. The third goal is for students to demonstrate the ability to analyze and evaluate the manner in philosophical concepts or arguments can be compared, contrasted or resurface in new forms among philosophers and between historical eras. The final goal is the central goal of each lesson. It is for students to achieve the learning outcomes relevant to the lesson. REMINDERS 1. Work that we do in one lesson provides a foundation for  subsequent lessons. 2. When you prepare a lesson you should also be preparing for the Mid­Term Exam and the PHIL 212 Assessment. 3. Please be sure to keep a copy of the study guide for each lesson.  I recommend that students review each study guide in preparation for the Mid­Term Exam and the PHIL 212  Assessment. The following is a list of some of the concepts and names with which you should  be familiar: theoretical reason, practical reason, the good will, inclinations, autonomy, maxims, duty, moral duty, hypothetical imperatives, categorical imperatives, persons, Kingdom of Ends, the practical imperative, the principle of dignity, John Rawls,  a thought experiment, original position, veil of ignorance, justice, retributive justice, distributive justice, social justice, Susan Moller Okin, Family Justice Learning Outcome Two The successful student will be able to: Discuss how differing foundations of knowledge from various cultures lead to  different understandings of science, natural order, religion, the Self, and use of  technological power. 2 These commands are maxims. A maxim is the reason or rule according to which an act is done or not done. (Archetypes of Wisdom, page 327) MORAL DUTY What is duty? What is moral duty? Why must moral duty be confined to the universal obligations of all persons under similar circumstances? HYPOTHETICAL IMPERATIVES AND THE CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE One of the most important features of Kant’s moral philosophy is the categorical  imperative. According to the text, what is a hypothetical imperative? Why does a hypothetical imperative provide an inadequate or inappropriate basis for determining moral duty? What is a categorical imperative? How are universality and necessity involved in the categorical imperatives? Why is a categorical imperative important to moral duty? What is the categorical imperative? THE KINGDOM OF ENDS 5 Kant’s practical imperative or principle of dignity is a crucial feature of  his moral philosophy.   What is the Kingdom of Ends? What is the relationship between rationality, being a person, and being a member of the Kingdom of Ends? If a being is a member of the Kingdom of Ends, how should we treat that being? What is the practical imperative or the principle of dignity? The practical imperative or the principle of dignity is the following: Act in such a way that you always treat humanity,  whether in your own person or in the person of another, never simply as a means but always at the same time as an end.  (Excerpt from The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals reprinted in Archetypes of Wisdom, page 332, emphasis in the reprinted text) What does Kant mean when he says that we should treat ourselves and  others as “ends”? He means that we should treat ourselves and others  as thought they have intrinsic worth or worth that is not dependent  upon anything external.  Instead, that worth is inherent. Learning Outcome Three The successful student will be able to: Evaluate the relationship of philosophic ideas to the art, literature, political and  economic structure, social hierarchy, and values of their respective societies. AND Learning Outcome Four The successful student will be able to: Assess how cross­cultural interactions lead to diffusion of ideas and influence  intellectual and cultural traditions. 6 AND Learning Outcome Five The successful student will be able to: Analyze and assess contemporary problems of global concerns from a  philosophical perspective. CONTEMPORARY RESPONSES  JOHN RAWLS:  JUSTICE AS FAIRNESS As Soccio tells us, John Rawls’ attempt to refine Kant’s moral theory in A Theory of Justice has been and continues to be very influential. (Archetypes of Wisdom, page 332) Rawls’ title, A Theory of Justice, raises the initial question about the meaning of “justice.” The word “justice” is from the Latin word “jus” which means “right” or “law.”1 In philosophy, we generally think that there are two broad categories or forms of justice. One form is retributive justice. This form of justice is concerned with redressing injuries or, more specifically, addressing violations of the law. We could say that the Criminal Justice System is concerned with retributive justice. The second form of justice is distributive. Distributive justice is also sometimes identified as “social justice.” It is distributive or social justice with which John Rawls is concerned in A Theory of Justice. In that text, Rawls reminds us that a theory of distributive or social justice is one that is concerned with a characteristic set of principles for assigning basic rights and duties and for determining what they take to be the proper distribution of the benefits and burdens of social cooperation.2 So, from the quoted remarks, we see that a theory of social justice or distributive justice is concerned with the “proper distribution” of the benefits one has as a result of living in a society 7