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Ethics:
Kantian “DUTY”
Ethics
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Part I.
The Ethics of Duty

Kant’s ‘Duty’
ethics are a
moral obligation
which must
come from
within each
individual.
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Part I.
The Ethics of Duty
“It is not our desires that ground
morality but our rational will.
Reason is sufficient for
establishing the moral law as
something transcendent and
universally binding on all rational
creatures.”
-Louis Pojman of Kant
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Part I.
The Ethics of Duty
“The obligation to do our duty is unconditional. That
is, we must do it for the sake of duty, because it
is the right thing to do, not because it will profit
us psychologically, or economically, not because
if we don’t do it and get caught we’ll be punished.
The categorical imperative was Kant’s name for
this inbred, self-imposed restraint, for the
command of conscience within that tells us that
the only true moral act is done from a pure sense
of duty.”
-Admiral James Stockdale
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Part I.
The Ethics of Duty
“Morality is not based on the fact that
it has instrumental value, that it often
secures non-moral goods such as
happiness. Rather, morality is
valuable in its own right.”
-Louis Pojman on Kant
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Part I.
The Ethics of Duty
More than any
other philosopher,
Kant emphasized the
way in which the moral
life was centered on
duty.
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Duty and Following Orders

“I had known the Categorical Imperative,
but it was in a nutshell, in a summarized
form. I suppose it could be summarized
as, ‘Be loyal to the laws, be a disciplined
person, live an orderly life, do not come
into conflict with laws’—that more or less
was the whole essence of that law for the
use of the little man.”
Adolph Eichmann
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Duty and Inclination

Kant was mistrustful of feelings as
motivations for doing good

Saw feelings as
– Unreliable
– Passive
– Phenomenal
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Duty and Inclination

Kant’s motivation:
– wants “supreme principle of morality”
with a firm foundation in reason...
– wants moral principles which all people
can recognize by using their reason
- Moral rules that are:
• universally applicable
• exert a special force on us
• concerned with more than just
outcomes
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Part II.
Universalizability and the
Categorical Imperative
Central insight:
 What is fair for one is fair for all
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Living by Rules

Most of us live by rules much of the
time. Some of these are what Kant
called Categorical Imperatives—
unconditional commands that are
binding on everyone at all times.
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Types of Imperatives

Hypothetical Imperative:
– “If you want to drive to UCLA from San
Diego, take the 405 freeway.”
– Structure: if…then…

Categorical Imperative
– “Always tell the truth”
– Unconditional, applicable at all times
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Categorical Imperatives:
Universality

“Always act in such a way that the
maxim of your action can be willed
as a universal law of humanity.”
--Immanuel Kant
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Categorical Imperatives:
Respect

“Always treat humanity, whether in
yourself or in other people, as an end
in itself and never as a mere means.”
--Immanuel Kant
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Categorical Imperatives:
What do they mean?

Categorical Imperative
• If you wouldn’t want everyone to
act on the rule, then that action is
morally wrong.
• Act “as though the maxim of your
action were by your will to
become a universal law of
nature” such as the laws of
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physics.
Categorical Imperatives:
Conclusions

Results of Kant’s Categorical Imperative
–one should treat people with
respect
–one should never lie
–one should never commit suicide
–one should never break one’s
promises
–etc.
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In Kantian Terms, there is a
difference between an action being
Blameworthy, Acceptable and
Praiseworthy.
BLAMEWORTHY
ACCEPTABLE
PRAISEWORTHY
0
+
|--------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
ACT
WRONGLY
ACT RIGHTLY
BUT NOT FROM
RIGHT MOTIVE
ACT RIGHTLY
AND FOR RIGHT
MOTIVE (GOOD WILL)
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Classroom Exercises

Most of us live by rules, obedience to
which we take as a duty.
– What are the most important rules you
live by?
– What were the most important rules in
your family?
– What rules have you rejected as you
have gotten older?
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Lying


Is it possible to universalize a maxim that
permits lying?
What is the maxim?
– It’s ok to cheat when you want/need to?

Can this consistently be willed as a
universal law?
– No, it undermines itself, destroying the rational
expectation of trust upon which it depends.
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Academic Cheating


Cheating involves not playing by the
rules. Is it possible for the cheater to
will his/her maxim as a universal
law?
No, because then others (including
the teacher) could refuse to follow
the rules as well, failing the cheater
even with a good grade.
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Kantian Ethics:
Strengths



Realm of duty free from utility
Respect for persons
Golden rule – do unto others,
expressed in rational terms
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Kantian Ethics:
Weaknesses




Hyper-rationality and lack of emotion
The irrelevance of human feelings
Overly formal and universal, i.e.,
most of our duties are in social roles
Inflexibility
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