Kantian Ethics

• Kant's account of a good will

  • The source of all moral value.
  • Someone with a good will always does the right thing because it is their duty.
• Acting in accordance with duty

  • Doing the right thing with the wrong motive.
  • E.g. saving a drowning man to receive praise.
• Acting out of duty

  • Doing the right thing with good will.
  • E.g. saving a drowning man because it is your duty to help others.
• Hypothetical imperative

  • Dependent upon a certain goal.
  • Can be written in the form "If..., then..."
  • E.g. If you want a cup of tea, then you should boil the kettle.
  • Not moral imperatives.
• Categorical imperatives

  • Unconditional, absolute or universal oughts.
  • Cannot be written in the form "If..., then..."
  • Not dependent upon goals and aims.
  • Central to Kant's account of morality.
• The first formulation of the categorical imperative


  "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same will that it should become universal law without contradiction."
• Contradiction in conception

  When you cannot conceive of a world with the maxim as universal law it creates a perfect duty to not follow the maxim
• Contradiction in will


  When you can conceive of a world with the maxim as universal law but not rationally will it an imperfect duty not to follow the maxim is created.
• The second formulation


  "Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end."
• Clashing and competing duties (Perfect vs. Imperfect)

  • E.g. in the axemurderer example perfect duty to not tell lies vs. imperfect duty to protect others.
• Clashing and competing duties (Two perfect duties)


  E.g. promising to lie to someone
• Clashing and competing duties (Two imperfect duties)


  E.g. Sartre's example of an imperfect duty to help his family vs an imperfect duty to join the resistance during WW2.
• Not all universalisable maxims are distinctly moral


  E.g. chewing food 20 times before swallowing.
• Not all non-universalisable maxims are immoral


  E.g. when taking an exam I will aim to come in the top 50%
• The consequences of actions determine their moral value


  E.g. lying seems like the right thing to do in the axemurderer example when considering the consequences.
• Kant ignores the value of certain motives such as love and kindness

  • Kant theory suggests that a parent who cares for their child out of a sense of duty is more moral than a parent who cares for their child out of love.
  • Some emotions such as love and jealousy have moral value
  • Kant's approach is cold and calculating for disregarding these motives.
• Morality is a system of hypothetical rather than categorical imperatives (Foot)

  • Kant does not give us sufficient reason to follow categorical imperatives.
  • Only hypothetical imperatives give us sufficient reason to act because they are based on our desires and have end goals.
  • Some people genuinely want to help others and this is acceptable moral goal.
• Kant's theory on stealing

  • First formulation: The maxim that stealing is acceptable creates a contradiction in conception and therefore a perfect duty to not steal.
  • Second formulation: Taking someone's property without their consent contradicts the humanity principle creating a perfect duty to not steal.
  • Stealing also goes against Kant's belief that humans have a duty to create a society where laws are followed.
• Kant's theory on simulated killing

  • We have a duty to "cultivate the compassionate feelings in us" and sympathize with the suffering of other creatures.
  • However simulated killing does not violate any moral duties so as long as it doesn't damage the rational will, it is morally permissible.
• Kant's theory on eating animals

  • First formulation: Animals do not have a rational will so any maxim on how we treat them can be universalized and eating them is morally permissible.
  • Second formulation: As animals do not have a rational will they can be used as means to an end and be eaten.
  • However we have an indirect duty to be kind to animals as being unkind to animals may make us unkind to humans.
• Kant's theory on telling lies

  • First formulation: Attempting to universalize any maxim about telling lies creates a contradiction in conception and a perfect duty to not lie.
  • Second formulation: Lying to someone undermines their autonomy and creates a perfect duty to not lie.
  • However maxims such as 'you should always tell the truth unless someone's life is in danger' can be universalised.