Introduction to Ethics

Philosophy 101/201

Instructor: Dr Elliot Rossiter

Date: July 11th, 2016
Theme: Deontology

Thought Experiment

Immanuel Kant

Kant was a German philosopher who lived from

1724 1804
He wrote on a huge range of topics from
metaphysics to ethics to politics

A Good Will

Kant holds that a will is good when it acts for

the sake of duty (and not for another end or
from mere natural inclination)
The will must act in accord with reason:
principle of volition
An action has moral worth when it is done for
the sake of duty

The Moral Law

Duty involves acting from respect for the law

The law is a set of maxims or principles that
should order the will
The will should be ordered by pure respect for
the law

Imperatives

The law consists in a set of objective

imperatives that ought to determine our actions
Hypothetical imperatives pertain solely to things
that are means to something else
Categorical imperatives are strictly necessary

Categorical Imperative

First formulation: 'Act only on that maxim

whereby thou canst at the same time will that it
should become a universal law'
Think through principles that can be
universalized and those that can't be

Categorical Imperative

Second formulation: 'So act as to treat

humanity, whether in thine own person or in that
of any other, in every case as an end withal,
never as a means only'
Human beings are ends and not means

Autonomy

Kant argues that human beings should be

autonomous
Autonomous = Self-legislating
We treat others as mere means when we
disregard their autonomy (e.g. deception or
coercion)

O'Neill and World Hunger

Kant's position on treating others as ends-inthemselves entails duties surrounding world

hunger in famine-stricken areas

We have a perfect duty to be just

We have an imperfect duty to be beneficent

Types of Duties

A perfect duty admits of no exceptions and the

conditions for its exercise are fully specified
Examples include refraining from suicide or
theft and ensuring that you tell the truth
O'Neill talks about justice in terms of deception
and coercion

Types of Duties

An imperfect duty may be fulfilled in different

ways and to different degrees depending on
circumstances
The duty to give aid (or to be beneficent) is an
imperfect duty

Justice

O'Neill argues that Western nations have a

perfect duty to refrain from coercion and
deception in their dealings with other nations
Western nations must avoid making offers that
can't be refused

Beneficence

O'Neill argues that Western nations have an

imperfect duty to provide aid to areas suffering
from famine
Famine (and poverty in general) reduces both
individual and collective autonomy