Kant

• Kant provides a deontological secular method of morals using maxims
• Kant uses reason to provide rules for morals rather than religion as it can be destructive - reason is universal, religion isnt
• Kant said that reason discovers universal laws like maths and physics so a moral law discovered by reason would also be universal and categorical (explicit and direct)
• Morality is not contingent of personal feelings, not hypothetical, it is categorical
• A test of a moral action would be one that can be done universally regardless of personal feelings - these universal actions are our duty
• The good will is the highest form of good- having the right intention when performing their duty - we should leave out personal feelings and do it for duty's sake
• The shopkeeper example shows that a shopkeeper lowing prices to attract more customers is not morally right, but one who lowers prices due to duty, is
• Hypothetical imperative - an action that is done on anything other than duty, e.g. the consequences
• Categorical imperative - something we always have a duty to do
• Categorical Imperative


  Universability - Act only on an ethical principle that can be logically done by everyone
• Categorical Imperative


  Treat everyone as ends in themselves - to treat a person as if they were means to your ends contradicts the fact that they have their own ends and is therefore irrational. It is acceptable to treat someone as a means if you also treat them as an end e.g. technically you are treating a waiter as a means but if you treat them with respect you are allowing them to complete their own ends by choosing to be a waiter and wait on you
• Categorical imperative


  Kingdom of ends - live as though everyone was being treated as a an end, dont put aside the moral law because people arent following it
• postulate - something you have to assume to be true in order to have a basis for reasoning about something
• 3 postulates - things we have to assume to be true if ethics is based on reason

  God - to be able to judge us and give fairness

  Immortality of the soul - to complete summum bonum if we do not in this life

  Free Will - to be able to make free decisions
• Summum bonum - highest form of good