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Summary Kant/Deontology - Moral Philosophy A Level Philosophy AQA
Kant/Deontology - Moral Philosophy A Level Philosophy AQA. From an A* student. Can also provide access to Quizlet flashcards if asked.
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Kant/DeontologyStudy online at https://quizlet.com/_ckgxfz
1. 'Explain what Acting out of duty for duty's sake, rather than acting out
Kant means by of desire or for a specific consequence. 'The only thing
'The Good Will' that is good without qualification is the Good Will'. All other
'goods' apart from the 'Good Will' have the possibility of
being bad. For example, most of us pursue ends that we
think of as 'good', but Kant would say that these ends
cannot be thought of as morally good in themselves. Our
actions can only be classed as moral if they stem from or
are accompanied by the 'Good Will' - the only 'pure' good
and the source of all moral value.
2. Examples of why You could say that 'happiness' is a good, but this can be
the good will is derived for some sadistic people from torture. 'Intelligence'
the only good could also be said to be a 'good' but again this can be used
without qualifica- in a negative way such as to lie or to swindle money out of
tion others.
3. Example to ex- According to Kant's Good Will, if you save someone's life
plain the good because you expect to be financially rewarded, this action
will has no moral worth, so is not really good. You are acting
for selfish reasons, not for the sake of duty. However, if
you recognise your duty to save someone's life and act
because of this duty then your choice does have moral
worth and is a good.
4. You have a duty follow the moral law
to...
5. Explain Kant's Like animals, humans are driven by desire and instinct,
view that hu- but what distinguishes us is that we can also reason.
mans are imper- Following this reason is to act morally (it is from this which
fectly rational be- we gain autonomy), whereas following our desires is to
ings act immorally and out of self-interest. This conflict between
reason and desires allows for the concept of duty to exist.
As imperfectly rational beings, we each have a duty to
overcome our desires and follow the moral law, which is
summarised in Kant's categorical imperative.
6.
, Kant/Deontology
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_ckgxfz
Explain the dis- Doing the right thing, but acting on desires, is to act in
tinction between accordance with duty. Whereas, doing something not for
acting in accor- personal gain, but because it is the right thing to do, is to
dance with duty act out of duty - only this has moral worth.
and acting out of
duty.
7. Example of the A shop keeper who does not rip customers off because
distinction be- he wants a good reputation does not have moral actions.
tween acting in Not ripping off customers is the right thing to do, but he
accordance with isn't doing it out of a sense of duty for the moral law, but
duty and acting for his reputation. As such, he is acting in accordance with
out of duty. moral duty so his act has no moral worth. In contrast, a
poor shopkeeper who understands that being honest is
the right thing to do does not rip off customers for this
reason. His act is carried out of duty, so has moral worth.
8. Explain an issue Doing the right thing can seem counter-intuitive. E.g. A
with acting out father who helps his son develop his talents because he
of duty rather loves his son and enjoys spending time with him would
than in accor- not have morally worthy dedication. Whereas, a father who
dance with duty helps his son even though he doesn't love him and doesn't
like spending time with him, but does this out of a sense
of duty, would have morally worthy dedication. It seems
easier to be moral if you are a bad person.
9. Explain the dis- Morality is experienced as an imperative - it tells us what
tinction between we ought to do. However, unlike hypothetical imperatives,
hypothetical im- which are conditional on personal desire or motive, cat-
peratives and egorical imperatives are unconditional and absolute so
categorical im- can be defined as commands you must follow, regardless
peratives. of your desires or goals. Whilst a hypothetical imperative
would follow the formula "If you want X, then do Y", a
categorical imperative commands that "you ought to do
Y". According to Kant, a genuine moral imperative will
be categorical, meaning it will follow the concept that, as
a rational being, we have an imperative to be logically
consistent.
10.
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