Kant ETHICS WITHOUT DIVINE AUTHORITY CONTINUED

Recap of Key terms from last lesson Rationalism Empiricism Deontological Absolute Innate Morality

If morality does not depend on God then what? Morality applies to all rational beings, and a moral action is defined as one that is determined by reason, not by our sensual impulses. Because an action is moral on account of its being reasoned, the moral worth of an action is determined by its motive, or the reason behind the action, not by its consequences. Morality comes from within us, it can not be enforced upon us from an external force. It is about knowing that we must do good and that we have the ability to do so. The only moral obligations we have are those which derive from a moral law which we ourselves legislate and which tells us to act in such a way that everyone could rationally agree to act – it sets universalisable principles. What are universalisable principles?

In pairs discuss and jot down a few points to this question ready for feedback How far do we legislate morality ourselves? In other words how in control of your moral compass do you believe yourself to be Does it seem more or less likely that we adopt a morality which others have legislated for us?

So what is Gods place? In The Critique of Practical Reason, Kant argued that only one thing was certain, and that was the existence of a moral law, the goal of which could only be fulfilled if God existed. He maintained that all humans, through use of reason, could discern a moral law evident in the universe and they had an obligation or duty to seek the highest form of the good, which he coined the summum bonum. Clearly justice is not administered in this life: some cheats prosper; some crime pays; bad things happen to good people. People do not always, or even often, get what they deserve. Life isn‘t fair. If this life is all there is, then, justice is not done, and so moral behaviour is not rational; we have no reason to be good. We do, though, have a reason to be good. This life, then, cannot be all that there is. There must be something more.

Write up of section one You are to write up your notes on the first section of Kant, adding in information from your revision booklets and also your own research on Kant’s morality without divine authority