Immanuel Kant Deontology (Duty Ethics)

Immanuel Kant  German philosopher “ Morality is not really the doctrine of how to make ourselves happy but of how we are to be worthy of happiness”

 The essence of morality is to be found in the motive from which an act is done.  We need to distinguish between acts done ‘from inclination’ and acts done from a ‘sense of duty’.

 Inclination = that which we would like to do e.g. When you wake up on a beautiful sunny day, you might think that you would like to spend the day at the beach, instead of going to school. In other words, your inclination would be to go to the beach.

 Obligation = What you know you ought to do, despite your inclination to do otherwise. (this may also be called ‘duty’) e.g. On that sunny day, you know that you should go to school, because your friends need you for the final rehearsal of your group English oral. So, it is your obligation or duty to go to school to work on your English oral. Obligation

 According to Kant, one is only acting morally when he/she suppresses his/her inclinations and does that which he/she is obliged to do.

 Kant distinguishes between acts done ‘from duty’ and acts done ‘in accordance with duty’.  e.g a parent who takes care of his/her children either because he loves them or because he fears police action if he neglects them (prudence), is not acting morally.

Scenario 1  Your grandmother is sick and has asked for you to visit her and bring her some crossword books. Your grandmother is a cranky old woman and you don’t enjoy spending time with her. Furthermore, your friend has invited you to see a movie you’ve been wanting to see for some time. Nevertheless, you decide to go and visit your sick grandmother and take her the crossword books she wants. According to Kant, did you act morally?

Scenario 2  Same situation, but in this case, your grandmother is a sweet and lovely woman whom you adore. You haven’t seen her for a while and you know you’ll enjoy visiting her, so you decide to put off your friend and go to visit your grandmother. According to Kant, did you act morally?

 How does an individual determine what his/her duty is in a given situation? Central to Kant’s ethics – the Categorical Imperative ( a rule which, if followed, will ensure the person is behaving morally) The Categorical Imperative

Principle of Universalisability  Every action must be judged in the light of how it would appear if it were to be a universal code of behaviour. [“What if everyone behaved as you do?”]

 To decide if an act is the right thing to do, one needs to ask oneself, ‘would I want to live in a world where everyone acted this way?’  If your answer is YES, then it is your duty to act in this way.  If your answer is NO, then the act is not moral.

 “So act that your principle of action might safely be made a law for the whole world.” Kant

 The most important categorical imperative for Kant, is that we should treat other people as the ‘end’ of our actions, not as a ‘means’ to an end.  Every person has the right to pursue their own goals and should not be used as a means to another person’s goals, no matter how noble these ends may be.

What possible problems can you see with Kant’s moral theory?