Essay
Is Kant's Deontological approach to Ethics Correct?
- Module
- Epistemology
- Institution
- AQA
Here is an essay on Kantian ethics I wrote in my second year of studying Philosophy at A-Level. I was graded an A on this essay.
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By: millievernazza • 1 year ago
By: judepowell7920 • 3 year ago
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Charlotte LoganIs Kant’s Deontological approach to Ethics correct?
Deontology is the claim that actions are right or wrong in themselves, not depending
on their consequences. We have moral duties to do things that are right to do and
moral duties to do things that are wrong to do. We should always carry out duties,
not because we want to but because we must. Duties are obligations we have
towards someone or something. Immanuel Kant believed in deontology and his
approach to ethics is very distinctive. Kant believed that we have duties to do (or not
do) certain things which are right (or wrong) in themselves. These duties are moral
and are discoverable through reason. According to Kant, the moral duties are
categorical and not hypothetical because they are your duty, regardless of what you
want or would like to do. In this essay the argument that Kant’s Deontological
approach to Ethics is incorrect will be interpreted as well as taking into account
possible counter arguments as to why his approach is supposedly correct. Kant used
the categorical imperative (Act only on that maxim through which you can at the
same time will that it should become a universal law) and the hypothetical
imperative (if you want X, you ought to Y) to aid people in finding and working out
the duties they must follow out of obligation. A maxim is a personal principle that
guides our decisions like getting an education.
The first and most effective argument which indicates how Kant’s Deontological
approach to Ethics is incorrect is based upon the realisation that Kant blatantly
ignores the intuition that consequence of actions determines moral value. We
cannot ever be certain that one action will only have one set consequence, there
could be five different consequences which could occur. As a result, we rely on the
assumption that acting on a duty will only result in one possible fallout. Take for
example you follow your duty and do not lie. However, you telling the truth results in
ten people dying a slow, painful death. Surely in this instance, it would have been
wiser to break the duty due to its consequences. Living in a modern-day society
results in consequences being a morally relevant. People are penalised on a daily
occurrence for the consequences of their actions, on many occasions people can end
up in detrimental situations even after acting in duty. The example of the murderer
at the door is a good representation of the downfall of Kant’s approach. If a man
came to hide in your house in fear of his life do you follow Kant’s method and tell the
murderer, you know where the man is hidden so he can be brutally murdered, or do
you tell a lie to save a life? If you can never lie, you cannot lie to save a life which, as
a matter of fact, is seen by the majority of society as an extremely immoral action.
Some opposing arguments do not agree and say that fundamentally, as long as you
have done your duty, you are not to worry about the consequence of actions
determined by moral value. According to these sources, you cannot alter the
consequence of your duty and so must just follow what you know cannot fail you –
following your duties. This counter argument is feeble as with Kant’s deontological
approach we are left guessing and presuming matters of fact. This is all due to Kant’s
reliance on consequentialist reasoning which almost ignores the fact that all actions
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