Ends and Principles in Kant’s Moral ThoughtImmanuel Kant (1724-1804) stands among the greatest thinkers of the Western world. There is hardly an area of thought, at least of philosophical thought, to which he did not make significant and lasting contributions. Particularly noteworthy are his writings on the foundations and limits of human knowledge, the bidimensional nature of perceptual or "natural" objects (including human beings), the basic principles and ends of morality, the character of a just society and of a world at peace, the movement and direction of human history, the nature of beauty, the end or purpose of all creation, the proper education of young people, the true conception of religion, and on and on. Though Kant was a life-long resident of Konigsberg, Prussia - child, student, tutor, and then professor of philosophy (and other subjects) - his thought ranged over nearly all the world and even beyond. Reports reveal that he (a bachelor) was an amiable man, highly respected by his students and colleagues, and even loved by his several close friends. He was apparently a man of integrity, both in his personal relations and in his pursuit of knowledge and truth. Despite his somewhat pessimistic attitude toward the moral progress of mankind - judging from past history and contemporary events - he never wavered from a deep-seated faith in the goodness of the human heart, in man's "splendid disposition toward the good. |
Contents
Introduction Background and the central problem | 1 |
1 Human knowledge and the knowable world | 2 |
The chief condition of morality | 5 |
3 Types of moral theories | 7 |
Inconsistencies? | 9 |
Ends and the good will | 13 |
1 Conditioned goods and the unconditioned good | 14 |
2 Prima facie goods and the absolute good | 18 |
3 The alleged inconsistency | 92 |
4 Ends which are duties | 96 |
5 The highest good | 101 |
The principle of humanity | 105 |
1 Initial remarks | 106 |
2 Treatment of others as means | 111 |
the duty of love for others | 118 |
Duties to oneself | 125 |
3 The uniqueness of a good will | 20 |
4 The irrelevance of ends | 27 |
5 A note on respect for the moral law | 32 |
Maxims | 33 |
Incentival actional and dispositional | 34 |
2 Alternative accounts of Kantian Maxims | 39 |
3 Preliminary elucidation of actional maxims | 44 |
4 What maxims and the adoption of maxims are not | 47 |
5 On formulating maxims | 51 |
Universality and the categorical imperative | 57 |
2 The principle of universality of nature | 69 |
3 Suicide and lying promises | 76 |
4 Neglect of talents and refusal to help others | 83 |
Ends and moral obligation | 87 |
2 Man as the objective endinitself | 91 |
Autonomy of the Will | 139 |
1 The principle of autonomy of the will as a moral criterion | 143 |
2 Autonomy and the possibility of morals | 146 |
3 The kingdom of ends | 152 |
4 Responsibility for wrong acts and accountability for moral evil | 160 |
Duties rights and ends in the political order | 171 |
1 The alleged right to revolt | 174 |
2 Kants paradoxical stand on revolution | 187 |
3 The alleged right to lie from benevolence | 193 |
4 The end of nature in human history | 202 |
Happiness and lawmorality | 209 |
1 Morality and happiness | 210 |
2 Lawmorality and atheism | 217 |
3 Conclusion | 222 |
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Common terms and phrases
accord with duty acting from duty actional maxim actually agent argument Beck called categorical imperative causal civil society commands conceived concept condition consequentialist Critique disposition duties to oneself duty of beneficence end-in-itself evil fact formal freedom French Revolution Groundwork hence heteronomy highest hypothetical imperatives ibid incentival maxim inclination individual judgment Kant holds Kant says Kant writes Kant's moral Kantian kingdom of ends law of nature least lie from benevolence lying promise matter means merely minor premise moral law moral obligation moral principle motive never noumenon obey objective ends one's Paton perfect duties perpetual peace personal happiness political position possible practical reason principle of humanity principle of universality question regard respect revolution Right of Revolution right to lie right to revolt self-love sense sensuous simply solely sort suicide teleological things treat unconditioned universal law universality of nature universalizable universally legislative violate Willkür would-be murderer wrong