Questions tagged [kant]
Immanuel Kant was a German Enlightenment philosopher.
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Does there exist a maxim which is rooted in morally permissible principles that cannot be universalized?
I'm wondering if there's a maxim that is morally permissible that cannot be universalized, or at least done so consistently under Kantian ethics and his formula of universal law.
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Questioning Kant's resolution to induction
From what I haved gathered from the first sections of the Critique, Kant wants to resolve the problem of induction by adding the a priori concept of (the necessity between) cause and effect to our ...
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Kant, suicide, and the unalienable right to life
Recently, after taking an introductory course in Kantian ethics — I am now familiar with the concepts of free will, duty-conception, the categorical imperative —, I was writing an essay on his ...
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The “only” in, “Act only on that maxim…”
Is the categorical imperative two imperatives implicitly in one? I'm not asking about the congruence or equivalence of the formulations; rather, I'm asking whether, "Act only on that maxim...&...
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Why isn't Kant's critique of metaphysics directed to himself?
I really like Kant, but I'm having a hard time understanding his Critique of Metaphysics. Kant takes as illegitimate the transcendental use of the concepts of pure understanding. This seems to be the ...
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Is Durkheimian critique of Kantian understanding of space and time valid?
In one chapter in The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life and in paper Primitive classification (Mauss also), Durkheim critiques Kantian a priori pure forms of sensibility: space and time; on basis,...
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Quote from Kant about science
I've just watched a video of a Philosophy Professor who said this in a conference:
"paraphrasing Kant, the scientist does not work as an observer of reality. He rather works as an interrogator ...
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A broad question on Deleuze's analysis of kantian philosophy ( doctrine of faculties)
In Kant's Critical Philosophy ( Doctrine of faculties) Deleuze displays a 2-dimensional analysis of mind faculties
(1) faculties defined by the relation between the representation, the object and the ...
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Notion of space and time
In Critique of pure reason, Kant mentions the theory of space and time, which is a priori. It will be used in Heidegger's Being and Time. However, In his second meditation, it seems that Descartes ...
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Can it be said, in the Kantian sense of the word “noumena”, that noumena exist?
I know Kant says it. But he also claims that nothing else can be said about noumena, only that they exist. I seem to be strongly convinced that this statement involves a contradiction and therefore ...
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Do any philosophers discuss the ethics of the possible negative repercussions from doing what is morally good?
Aside from utilitarianism, most ethical systems seem to advocate actions that might hurt somebody or at least inconvenience them.
For example, standing up to a bully might hurt them.
Making a stand ...
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For Kant, are we obligated to treat people who have no ability to reason or to give decisions or consents as always an end and not merely as means?
For Kant, are we obligated to treat people who have no ability to reason or to give decisions or consents (concerning with mental insanity) as always an end and not merely as means? If we are, why is ...
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Is it possible for morality to exist?
I used to be fairly convinced that morality existed - because of the numerous different ethical systems available, I was sure that even if I did not know which system was right, that morality, in some,...
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How would Kant/Mill justify causing somebody discomfort when doing the righteous thing?
I was wondering how Kant, or even Mill might respond to the issue that when doing the righteous thing, say standing up for yourself against a bully, or somebody who wants to impede on your rights, you ...
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What is a Good, Historically Grounded, Summary or Presentation of Kant's Epistemology
I am looking for an historically grounded book which can introduce me to understanding Kant's epistemology such as he gives in his Critique of Pure Reason and his Metaphysical Foundations of Natural ...
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Difference between material and matter?
Do you know what the difference is between material and matter? Or does it mean the same thing in Kantian philosophy?
I'll give you an example: "If a rational being can think of his maxims as ...
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How does Kant argue that all people have moral dignity
How does Kant argue that all people have moral dignity, the ability to conform to a moral law in which all people are ends only.
I have not substantially read Kant, but it occurred to me, suddenly / ...
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Murderer at the door thought experiment but with and artificial intelligence
I'm not the most well read in terms of philosophy so apologies if this question comes off as very beginner.
I've been thinking about the 'murderer at the door' thought experiment from the viewpoint of ...
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What would Kant say about treating people who lack strength of will?
For example, a smoker who wants to quit but can't resist the temptation of a smoke is an autonomous person but lacks strength of will (or character, or habitual rational moral acting). What would he ...
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Did Kant and Satre have the same view on morality [duplicate]
So in Kantian morality, in each act, you act as if your choice should become a universal law. And in Existentialism and Humanism Satre says that in every choice you choose for all man.
Are they ...
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Why should we treat others as *always* rational when they are not?
In Kantian system, murdering is nonrational because it cannot become a universal law. Yet Kant insists that it's immoral to lie to murderers. This is the same with saying they are rational being, ...
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Reference request regarding 'a priori knowledge' and conscious development
One possible key element about a priori knowledge that would allow a precise understanding of it would raise from the question: is (Kantian) a priori knowledge produced consciously or subconsciously?
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Do any mainstream philosophers talk about a duty to being to true to yourself?
I'm just wondering who has taken Kant's ideas and still explicates on duties to oneself including the duty of being true to who you are, to be authentic. I know existentialism also considers the ...
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Do Kant or Aristotle ever comment on the line between self-interest/preservation and helping others?
Im wondering whether either of them ever talked about limits to helping others and when we should choose ourselves.
Ive tried doing some research but unfortunately to not avail.
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Kant excerpt from CPR
In the Critique of Pure Reason, under "System of the Principles of the Pure Understanding, Section II Of the Highest Principle of all Synthetical Judgments" Kant writes, 2nd last paragraph:
&...
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Kant's 'presumption'
Since I do not have the German translation of Kant's "Prolegomena ...", I'm putting the question here. I'd like to know the German word used by Kant for 'presumption' as used in the ...
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Have cognitive scientists dealt with Kant’s idea of a priori knowledge using their tools?
Since Kant’s concept of a priori knowledge is about how humans perceive and construct the world in their head, that sounds very directly related to cognitive science and psychology. Have scientists ...
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On Kant's use of “überhaupt” [in general] and “allgemein” [general]
What's the difference between 'überhaupt' and 'allgemein'?
I'm still not fully in the grasp of what Kant exactly mean when he uses 'überhaupt' and 'allgemein'. In German, these are completely ...
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Are “concept” and “moral theory” thing-in-itself?
They're both objects that can be talked about but are not specified. Can I use Kant's "thing-in-itself" to describe them?
I'm currently writing an essay about ethics, now I'm thinking ...
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If time is subjective but unchanging, how are we not immortal?
This is probably my longest-lasting point of confusion re: Kant. True, he diagnoses the paralogism very well; but if time is unchanging, inherent in our subjectivity, and in that as constitutive of ...
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Where does ethics place the line between self interest and altruism?
Assuming I were to decide between getting Benefit A myself or somebody else getting A. All things being equal (need, desire, etc), is it correct to say most ethical theories (other than egoism) would ...
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“Ought implies can” or “Can implies ought”?
As far as I understand, the well known Kant's principle "Ought implies can" means: if you are morally obliged to do X, then you ought to do X. And (as explained here: http://web.mnstate.edu/...
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Justification for the phenominal/ noumenal distinction?
Cartesian dualism has purportedly been debunked. How does the phenomenal/ noumenal distinction avoid being characterized as the same mistake? Is it really impossible to visualize a symbiosis-in-agency ...
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Kant's disjunctive judgement and neoliberalism
Using the definition of neoliberalism (will not paste here), and Kan't third category being of relation, primarily his disjunctive judgement, hence community, and its application to the notion of ...
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What motivated Kant to focus on a relatively small set of principles when discussing morality?
Let’s use the famous example. Kant argues that lying is categorically bad because, even though lying can be good in narrow circumstances, one cannot will lying to be okay in a universal way.
However, ...
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Is Kant's concept of radical evil an epistemic notion?
One interpretation of the moment in Kant's presentation on "radical" (fundamental) "evil" where he asserts the universality of the predicate, vs. humanity, is that being finite is ...
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Why isn’t the Kantian categorical imperative equal to utilitarian principles with additional constraints?
This is how I understood the categorical imperative: an action is moral if it, when universalized (the constraint), is good (utilitarian).
The need to universalize can be seen as a constraint: that is,...
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According to Kant, which one is an autonomous being: me or my rationality?
If we consider a person's identity lies not in his rationality, but in, say, his body or his consciousness, then it seems not so obvious why we can regard a person as autonomous simply from the status ...
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How does Kant substantiate the noumenal world? [duplicate]
This is a new idea for me and I have struggled understanding Kant. How does Kant substantiate the noumenal world?
..Also, is their an online text or online video someone can reference me to that ...
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What influence did Kant have on artistic modernism?
What influence did Kant have on artistic modernism? I'm not even sure if his concept of taste is anti-modernist, and have read nothing explicitly on this question.
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Is “thoughts exist” a synthetic a priori statement?
I'm working off of Kant's conception of analytic/synthetic and a prior/a posteriori judgements.
The definition of "thoughts" does not subsume their existence. That is, it is logically ...
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Prerequisites for Critique of Pure Reason
Is it reasonable to read the Critique of Pure Reason after having read the following books
Hume - An enquiry concerning human understanding
Descartes - Discourse on method
Descartes - Meditations
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What separates a “normal” person from a morally excellent person? [closed]
Is it simply doing all the duties that Deontology (Kant) requires of you while doing them out of a sense of duty, or having all the virtues suggested by Aristotle while enjoying doing them or even ...
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Is it ethical to pursue one's own interests even at the expense of someone else's interests?
Say you and someone else are competing for a spot on a professional sports team. You're equally good, and in the end it'll come down to minor preference by the scout or randomness as to who gets ...
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Sartre on morality in “Existentialism is a Humanism”
After reading Existentialism is a Humanism, I am struggling to understand Sartre's stance on morality. If I understand correctly, he believes that no moral rule can be derived from reason, and that ...
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Kant and infidelity or monogamy
It seems to me that if everyone refused to say when a monogamous relationship was over, refused to tell someone of their affairs, and so on, then no monogamous relationships could exist. If ...
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According to Kant, while thinking of empty concepts without intuitions, what do we synthesise?
(This will be my last question on this book, for those of you getting bored of my questions).
Very briefly I will describe the method of Transcendental Deduction (TD) in an over-simplistic manner, and ...
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Can somebody explain the second argument of B-deduction in CPR?
For me, the Transcendental Deduction aims at proving two things:
Categories or pure concepts of understanding must be applied to the manifold of intuitions, i.e, they are necessary for cognition.
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Problem with Refutation of Idealism
Can someone please defend Kant's refutation of idealism in the B-edition, because it seems untenable to me.
First, he claims that 'I' am aware of myself being subjected to a specific temporal order ...
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What if the premise of CPR's Transcedental Deduction is wrong?
The transcendental unity of apperception is that unity through which all the manifold given in an intuition is united in a concept of the object. It is therefore entitled objective, and must be ...
