Kant

Categorical Imperative v. Hypothetical Imperative

"Hypothetical imperatives declare a possible action to be practically necessary as a means to the attainment of something else that one wants. A categorical imperative is one that represents an action as itself objectively necessary, without regard to any further end." -Hypothetical, concerned with the means -Categorical, one that represents an action as objectively necessary and always has to be done

Duty

"It is precisely in this that the worth of character begins to show - a moral worth, and incomparably the highest - namely, that he does good, not out of inclination, but out of duty." "duty is the necessity of an act done out of respect for the law." DUTY IS DONE OF RESPECT FOR THE LAW

Good Will: "

"There is no possibility of thinking of anything at all in the world, or even out of it, which can be regarded as good without qualification - except a good will." ONLY A GOOD WILL IS GOOD

Maxim

By "maxim," Kant means a rule or principle that gives reason for your action. He is saying, in effect, that one ought to act only on principles that one could universalize without contradiction. RULES THAT CAN BE UNIVERSALIZED AND ALWAYS FOLLOWED.

Kant and Happiness

Depends on events in the natural world

The Moral Law

Distinguished from laws of nature in defining what ought to be, dictated to each person from their own moral reason, the law is the law of reason, it cannot be known through experience -KNOWN A-PRIORI

The Problem of Evil

Emerges from the assumption that virtue and happiness ought to be systematically connected. The World shows no connection between Virtue and Happiness

The Three Practical Necessities

GOD, FREEDOM, IMMORTALITY, all three are practical necessities

Phenomena v. Noumena:

Phenomena refers to the world of "becoming"; that is the world of everyday life. PHENOMENA = BECOMING Noumena refers to the world of "Being"; that is the "world" that makes the world of phenomena possible. NOUMENA = BEING

The Human Being and EVIL

Reversing the moral order of his incentives in incorporating them into his Maxim

Self Conceit

Satisfaction of oneself, the moral law of pure practical reason strikes down self-conceit. Self-conceit makes one treat oneself as providing reasons for the actions of others, to take one's desires as sources of value to which they should defer. Self-Conceit, my LAWS should be the conduct of others, they should defer to my interests.

The sum of all inclinations

Self-Love (Solipsismus). Different kinds of self-regard, self-regard of love (selbstilebe), self-regard of benevolence (philautia), satisfaction with oneself (eigenliebe), self-conceit (eigendunken) Pure practical reason interferes with self-love but STRIKES down self-conceit

Self-Love

Tendency to treat one's inclinations as objectively good reasons for one's actions. Self-Love is lawgiving and self-love justifies itself to others.

The Diagnosis of the Problem for Kant

The Dualism between the human being and the world, human beings have purposes and the world does not. DUALISM BETWEEN HUMANS AND THE WORLD IS A PROBLEM AT THE HEART OF EXISTENCE

Kant and the Universe

The Universe is a Rational Place, physical laws organize the world of phenomena, a place where human beings make their home. THE UNIVERSE IS RATIONAL, WHERE HUMANS MAKE THEIR HOMES

The Gap between OUGHT and IS

They are permanently torn. The desire to fill the gap between OUGHT and IS is to PLAY GOD. This leads to Human Dissatisfaction, when we say that bad things that happen to good people shouldn't happen, then do we mean that virtue and happiness are connected?

Virtue and Happiness and what of their matters

VIRTUE IS A MATTER OF "OUGHT", NATURE IS A MATTER OF "IS"

Kant and Virtue

Virtue is the DOMAIN OF HUMAN REASON DOMAIN IS DEFINED BY PURPOSE

Virtue v. Happiness:

Virtue refers to action based on the moral law; happiness to the subjective experience and objective circumstances that derive from acting on virtue. VIRTUE IS ACTION BASED ON MORAL LAW, HAPPINESS IS BASED ON SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE AND OBJECTIVE CIRCUMSTANCES DERIVING FROM VIRTUE, HAPPINESS IS A SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE FROM THE OBJECTIVITY OF ACTING ON VIRTUE

Justice and Kant

We believe that those who help others should be rewarded while those who harm others should be punished. Kant holds this at the bottom of every moral critique.