Kantian ethics

• What is Kantian ethics?

  Moral theory which emphasises the importance of moral duties and principles in moral decision-making.
• Is Kantian ethics teleological or deontologcial?

  Deontological
• What does deontological mean?

  Right action over right outcome
• What are the rules we follow according to Kantian ethics?

  Categorical imperatives
• What is a categorical imperative?


  A command which logically has to be followed
• What is a hypothetical imperative?


  A command we would follow to achieve an end goal
• How do we test whether our actions are categorical imperatives?

  1. Universal law
  2. Person as ends
  3. Kingdom of ends
• What is universal law?


  The action we propose should be able to be made into a law that everyone should follow. If that would create chaos, we cannot be the exception
• What is person as ends?

  Our action shouldn’t use anyone else to get to the end, people are ends in themselves, and cannot be treated as objects
• What is good will according to Kant?


  The only truly good thing - we must have good intentions
• What is duty according to Kant?

  That which we work out we ought to do, regardless of emotions or consequence
• What is duty not according to Kant?

  Doing the right thing out of self-interest or possible consequence
• What is a postulate?

  Assumption
• What are the three postulates for morality to function?

  • We are free (to be responsible for our decisions)
  • We are immortal (there’s an afterlife)
  • God exists (for the summum bonum to occur)
• What is the summum bonum?


  Highest good
• What are the strengths of Kantian ethics?

  • Respects the intrinsic value of people
  • Universalisability allows us to treat everyone equally and not make ourselves special cases
  • Lack of personal bias
• What are the weaknesses of Kantian ethics?

  • Outcome does matter
  • Shows us what we shouldn’t do rather than what we should do
  • Too theoretical
• What does John Rawles sat about Kantian ethics?


  Justice is whatever we would agree to form behind the veil of ignorance

  • If we didn’t know our position in life, what would we want the rules to be?
  • Eg if you didn’t know whether you were going to be gay or straight, would we choose to ban homophobia?