All Questions
176 questions
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Why did Kant condemn masturbation?
That such an unnatural use (and so misuse) of one's sexual attributes
is a violation of one's duty to himself and is certainly in the
highest degree opposed to morality strikes everyone upon his ...
user22051
7
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2
answers
1k
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Why did Kant think that you should be responsible for the consequences of lying but not for the consequences of telling the truth?
Can someone here clarify what Kant meant with the following statement:
if you have by a lie prevented someone just now bent on murder from committing the deed, then you are legally accountable for ...
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0
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0
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133
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Is brain reward hacking immoral?
Consider the following scenarios, each of which at their core refer to a form of 'reward hacking'.
Based on personal observation, each scenario below generally elicits an immediate, visceral feeling ...
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1
answer
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Categorical Imperative vs. Utilitarianism
I'm watching philosophy crash course, and the narrator claimed that Utilitarianism is the antithesis of the of Kant's categorical imperative. However, on the surface, I can't see a major difference. ...
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0
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311
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Are these Two Premises Potential Flaws in Kant's Moral Theory?
In the Preface of the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals Kant says he believes that moral philosophy must be devoid of inputs from human nature (“anthropology”):
[Starting at about 4:389]
“...
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3
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1
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For Kant, is it immoral to offer solutions that may backfire when generalized?
I once read long ago Immanuel Kant came up with a model of Maxim. What I interpreted of it is basically that "if everyone does this and it still works in the long run, then it is right."
This makes ...
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1
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Is the following application of Kant's Categorical Imperative valid?
I'm reading about Kantian ethics and my question is if the maxim/prescription "Increase my Darwinian Fitness" is valid according to Kant's Categorical Imperative.
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2
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For Kant, is the bad will bad in itself?
I'm taking ethic classes in college and the last author we studied was Kant, in his Groundwork for the metaphysic of morals, of which we read only the first book, where Kant states the good will is ...
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How Kant's second formulation of the categorical imperative interacts with consent
Kant's second formulation (or the "ends in themselves" formulation) says:
use humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end, never merely as ...
- 139
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2
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What are some realistic situations where Kantian ethics can be applied?
By 'realistic' I mean ones which have a good chance of happening with someone.
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Is ethics the primary purpose of Kant's philosophy?
My professor said that he believes the primary purpose behind Kant's Critique of Pure Reason is to respond to the empiricist view that morals are ultimately subjective.
He believes that the primary ...
3
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1
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601
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How does the phenomenon of moral luck pose a problem for Kantian ethical theories?
I was reading the paper "Moral luck" by Thomas Nagel which left me rather confused. In the paper, he describes four different kinds of moral luck:: constitutive luck, resultant luck, circumstantial ...
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1
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How similar are Kantian Ethics to Virtue Ethics?
I am writing an essay for the question 'Critically evaluate the view that ethics should be more concerned with who you are than what you do'.
I have done some of Kant's ethics and some virtue ethics,...
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1
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1k
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What would Kant do in this situation of a drowning child in the pond? [closed]
Suppose you see a drowning child in a pond and there is no one else around except you. You want to save the child, but you know you cannot swim. And there is no other means other than swimming in the ...
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1
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Is globalization immoral? [closed]
My question pertains to when Morality becomes so defined and homogenous to the entire population if this isn’t immoral to the diversities that it umbrellas. In a world that now demands membership as ...
- 342
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1
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Does it matter if we never achieve the results of our being good? [closed]
I mean "good" broadly speaking. That could mean anything. It seems like we are bombarded with people who live, at least overtly, moral lives but who are somehow fake. The word "result&...
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How is Kantian's Universality Formulation identical to his Humanity Formulation (Principle of Ends)?
Kant states that the humanity formulation was substantively identical with his first formulation of the categorical imperative (universal law of nature), but I do not see how he came to that ...
- 135
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What good is it to ground morality?
What good is it to ground morality? It's a somewhat bad question. Philosophers like proving things. But, specifically, does it make me more moral if I can ground my moral values?
What generated the ...
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2
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210
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Categorical imperative defeating division of labor?
Suppose the following maxim.
Goal: satisfy basic needs: food, water, sleep, etc.
Method: having a specialization, getting money for work, spend money to satisfy basic needs.
Conditions: capitalism, ...
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7
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2
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409
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The Moral Law and the Categorical Imperative in Kant
In the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant begins his task by developing, through analysis of ordinary moral concepts, a theory of the 'supreme principle of morals,' the criteria for a ...
- 249
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2
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278
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Utilitarian Morality vs Kantian Morality
Does Utilitarian or Kantian Morality Approve :
1) Capital Punishment
2) Use of torture in interrogation of known terrorists
5
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2
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395
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Can a Kantian bluff in poker?
Kantians aren't allowed to lie---if it were a universal law of nature that everyone lied all the time, no communication would be possible at all, no words would have meaning, and lying itself would ...
- 2,002
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2
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What was the popular moral philosophy at the time when Kant lived?
On Wikipedia it is said:
In Section II, Kant starts from scratch and attempts to move from popular moral philosophy to a metaphysics of morals.
Therefore, there was some kind of popular moral ...
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2
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3
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4k
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Applying the Mere Means principle
I am trying to understand Kant's Second Categorical Imperative:
Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an ...
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4
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How can Kantianism prove the existence of perfect duties?
I heard about Kant's reasoning that lying that you return money or about the leads to contradiction in conception.
But how could he even prove that lying under any circumstances leads to ...
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1
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Would Robin Hood be ethical in Kantian ethics?
In order for an action to have moral worth, it must be done from the
motive of duty.
Would Robin Hood be ethical, assuming that he has no other intent only acted out of the duty to help others, ...
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1
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why did Kant say the only truly “good” thing in this world “without exception” is a “good will”?
why did Kant say the only truly “good” thing in this world “without exception”?
if I understand him correctly, which I very well may not, I believe he states that good will is the only truly good ...
user31089
4
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3
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166
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What would it mean for morality not to be a consequence of rationality?
How would one manage to arrive at this morality, or when to apply it without reason?
Some might say we directly experience morality, but this is inconsistent with the different different moral ...
- 441
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2
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Why is Kant's Groundwork so much more popular than his other ethical works?
Kant has three main works on ethics: the Groundwork, the second Critique, and the Metaphysics of Morals, and some important short essays: "What is enlightenment?", "Toward perpetual peace", and "...
- 2,002
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1
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Kant and the Categorical Imperatives
Did Immanuel Kant intend for the Categorical Imperatives to be used together, or separately, when trying to determine an actions ethicality or morality
If you answer yes, individually, then how does ...
user31089
5
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2
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What are some examples of categorical imperatives/universalizable maxims relevant to modern ethics?
I know this question has been widely asked, and that the answer may not be as straightforward as the question, which is partly why I'm asking. It's been a long time since I sat in a philosophy class, ...
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4
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How would a Utilitarian and a Kantian solve this thought experiment?
In this thought experiment, you are a doctor, and you work on a roadside hospital. Only you and another doctor are working in the hospital, and a woman who tried to commit suicide arrives at the ...
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3
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Kant -- What does it mean to treat someone merely as a means?
Seems like circumventing someone's rational agency, their ability to choose their own end is what it means to treat someone merely as a means. But putting people in prison is circumventing their ...
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1
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882
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Kant's Ethics: Inclination mutually exclusive to acting from duty?
I'm reading through the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals Section 1 and would like some confirmation on the topic in the title. From what I read it seems that one can still act from duty despite ...
- 299
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According to Kant, Is it ethical to prevent someone acting unethically against ones self?
My intuition seems to say yes, however I'm not quite sure how to go about reasoning about this. I'm particularly interested in evaluating this using the first and second categorical imperative.
I ...
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eleemosynary duties
(For context, last year I had someone close to me die. He was a very sentimental person, with certain valuables to which he was very attached. He specified certain property to be liquidated in a ...
user9166
3
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2
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964
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Was pietism an influence upon Kant's moral thoughts?
Pietism was a 17th century Lutheran theological movement emphasizing private religious study and kindness. Now, Kant was raised in a pietist household and enrolled in pietist schools. So is there any ...
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1
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762
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Is there anything wrong with this argument against Kantian Ethics?
I am trying to devise an argument against Kantian ethics, but I would like some feedback before I get into it because I don't want to end up just attacking a strawman.
First, I utilize Bernard ...
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4
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3
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957
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Why does rationality + free will necessitate an objective morality for Kant?
So, I'm trying to tackle Kantian Ethics, and I would like to think that I know the most of it but I have some confusions
So, what I understand of Kants ethical system is that a) We are rational ...
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2
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334
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Contemporary literature on Kantian ethics?
After reading some works, mainly by Kosgaard, I was wondering if there were any other in-depth contemporary literature looking into Kantian ethics and, more precisely, into its problems (and their ...
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4
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Is there an answer to false positives/negatives of Kant's categorical imperative?
I recently read some papers on Kant's categorical imperative (McCarty, Kosgaard, Gressis mainly) on how to properly formulate a maxim according to him, and on the multiple problems linked to those ...
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1
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Is it unethical, according to Kant, to break copyright and pirate books online?
I live in Bangladesh. In my country, I don't get authentic, high quality foreign books about science, philosophy, psychology etc. Even if some bookstores sell those books, the price due to import tax ...
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If a moral law contains "If-then/Unless-then" clauses, is it still Kantian?
An argument against Kant's categorical imperative is the "hiding Jews from the Nazis" example:
"Per the categorical imperative, you should never lie. Therefore if you are hiding Jews in the basement ...
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0
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In Kant, is the value you have form being human the same as the duty I have to you?
In Kant, is the value you have form being human the same as the duty I have to you, such that someone I have more duties to has more value?
Or is this nonsense anyway, because there is no sense I ...
user25714
2
votes
1
answer
496
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What is "moral goodness" according to Kant?
"Immanuel Kant argues that mere conformity with the moral law is not sufficient for moral goodness." In this context what is the literal meaning of "moral goodness" in simple terms?
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1
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Trolley problem: preference utilitarians vs. classical utilitarians vs. Kant
I wonder what exactly are the differences and if I am correct with my assumptions. The trolley problem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem
Now:
For the utilitarian, the only morally ...
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1
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248
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How specific to a set of circumstances can the categorical imperative be?
I'm having trouble understanding just how specific the circumstances can be when using the categorical imperative. My general understanding is that the categorical imperative urges you to consider ...
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878
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Kant's second formulation
In Kant's Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, he gives examples of uses of the Humanity Imperative, the first being about suicide.
I have a scenario in which there is a boy who has to choose ...
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What does Kant's universalisable principle have to say on arbitrary rules?
Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will
that it should become a universal law
How does that leave arbitrary rules, and conformity?
If everyone disobeyed, for any ...
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2
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714
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Why did Kant talk about metaphysics of ethics?
How can there be a metaphysics of ethics? What does this even mean? I am completely lost on what this means.
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