Deontology Anthology - Kant

• what does Kant mean by 'the will'

  - 'the will is nothing other than practical reason'

  - only a rational being has the faculty to act in accordance with a will

  - one should use rationality and not emotion/inclination to work out the will or the will becomes contingent/subjective and not universal as everyone would come to different conclusions
• what is the difference between the hypothetical and categorical imperative for Kant

  - imperative = what we ought to do/command

  - hypothetical represents the practical necessity of an action as a means to attain something else which one wills. it's morally neutral, subjective and has a variety of ways to be achieved

  - categorical imperative has not got anything to do with the matter of the action/what results from it but with the principle from which it results. it's distinguished from the agreeable as it is objective and doesn't always align with emotion

  - CI is not contingent or based on circumstances whereas the hypothetical imperative is
• explain the first principle of the categorical imperative

  'act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will a universal law of nature'

  e.g. would i want everyone else to litter

  - actions become right/wrong in all situations

  - allows us to gradually work out our duty and the categorical imperative
• explain the second principle of the categorical imperative

  every rational being exists as an end in itself and they're not merely means to the use of our will. persons have absolute worth
• explain the third principle of the categorical imperative

  applies the first and the second maxim practically.