KANTIANISM/CATEGORAL

IMPERATIVE

MARY CHRISTY A. GABUCAY

Discussant
 Definition of Deontology

Deontology comes from the Greek word

deon, meaning duty. It states that we are
morally obligated to act in accordance with a
certain set of principles and rules regardless
of outcome.In religious deontology, the
principles derive from divine commandment
so that under religious laws, we are morally
obligated not to steal, lie, or cheat.
 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF
IMMANUEL KANT
Immanuel Kant was born in (1724-1804) in the
Prussian City of Königsberg.He was a German
philosophy professor who taught at the
University of Konigsberg. He essentially spent
his whole adult life at the university and never
truly travelled outside of the city. He only
stopped working at the university three years
before his death. He was a philosopher and
scientist specializing in many areas, including
mathematics, astrophysics, geography and
anthropology.
 Kant’s Moral Theory

 Based on his view of the human being as having the

unique capacity for rationality. No other animal
possesses such a propensity for reasoned thought and
action, and it is exactly this ability that requires human
beings to act in accordance with and for the sake of
moral law or duty.
 Kant believes human inclinations, emotions and
consequences should play no role in moral action;
therefore, the motivation behind an action must be
based on obligation and well thought out before the
action takes place.
 Basic Elements of Kant’s Moral
Philosophy
• What Gives An Act Moral Worth?-refers to
the moral value of an act; something that
makes an act morally praiseworthy.
• What Is The Right Motive?-an act has
specifically moral worth only if it is done
with a right intention or motive.
• What Is The Right Thing to Do?-we must
not only act of a right motivation but also
do the right thing.
 According to Kant, the moral worth of an
action is determined by the human will,
which is the only thing in the world that
can be considered good without
qualification. Good will is exercised by
acting according to moral duty/law. Moral
law consists of a set of maxims, which are
categorical in nature – we are bound by
duty to act in accordance with categorical
imperatives.
Some Terminology

• Moral agent: An agent is a person who

performs an action; a moral agent is a
person with the capacity to act morally.
• Maxim: rule or principle
• Will: the faculty of deciding, choosing, or
acting
• Duty: an obligation, law
Kant's Categorical Imperative

• imperative is simply a form of statement

that tells us to do something
• categorical imperative - refers
to unconditional requirement or unyielding
rules of human conduct that exerts its
authority in all circumstances, both
required and justified as an end in itself.
Kant's THREE SIGNIFICANT
FORMULATION

1. “Act only according to that maxim by

which you can also will that it would
become a universal law”.
– Kant states that a true moral proposition must
not be tied to any particular conditions,
including the identity of the person making the
decision. A moral maxim must be
disconnected from the particular physical
details surrounding its proposition and should
be applicable to any rational being.
2. “Act in such a way that you always treat
humanity, whether in your own person or
in the person of any other, never simply as
a means, but always at the same time as
an end”.
-It tells us several things. It tells us how
to we ought to treat ourselves as well as
others for we are persons as they are. It
tells us to treat ourselves and others as
ends rather than merely as means.
3. “Every rational being must so act as if he
were through his maxim always a legislating
member in a universal kingdom of ends”.
- A truly autonomous will is not
subjugated to any interest; it is subject to
those laws it makes for itself, but the will
must also regard those laws as if others
are bound by the laws. If the laws are not
universal, they are not laws of conduct at
all.
 Kant and Human Emotion

• Many complain that Kantian morality

seems to be indifferent to human emotions
such as compassion and fear.Kant rightly
warns us that what we feel to be right is
sometimes not necessarily the right thing
to do.Sometimes what deters us from
doing the right thing is our fear of the
perceived unpleasant consequences of
doing the right thing.
Some Strengths of Kantian Ethics

• The strongest and the single most

important contribution of Kantian Ethics is
its emphasis on the unconditional respect
for human rights and dignity.
• Our sense of dignity cannot be bargained
for anything and for any reason.
• The significance of Kantian Ethics also lies
in its teachings about the dangers relying
too much on our emotions when making
moral judgments.
Some Strengths of Kantian Ethics

• It tells us to control our passions bu

making our will listen to the dictates of
good reason.
• It advises us to develop a strong and
determined will, to be unfaltering in our
adherence to our duty to do the right thing
at all times regardless of the
consequences.
Weaknesses of Kantian Ethics

• He believed some acts were

absolutely/always wrong (e.g. it is always
wrong to lie).
• His theory seems to imply that the
unloving person who acts “from duty”
seems more moral than the loving person
who spontaneously acts from love.
• He does not explain how to decide when
absolute rules conflict.
 Criticism of Kantian Ethics
• One of the biggest criticisms of Kantian ethics is
that it discounts outcome as a valid factor in
evaluating the morality of an action. While it is
not necessarily wise to rely solely on outcome
(as in utilitarianism/consequentialism), it is not a
good idea to completely ignore the outcome
altogether. Based on Kant’s formula of humanity,
human life is sacred and inviolable, meaning
one cannot enslave a few people even if it would
enable more people to lead better lives. Killing
one person to save the lives of millions is
impermissible in Kantian ethics.
Thank You!