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Ethics and responsibility today
Ethics and responsibility today
Ethics and responsibility today
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Applying Kant’s Categorical Imperative, acting “on the maxim whereby thou canst at the same time will it should become universal law,” to Larry and Rhonda’s scenario, the right thing to do is for Rhonda to take responsibility for her actions. To illustrate, if Rhonda were to ask Larry to take the blame so that she may avoid trouble for herself, the maxim in this case, she should imagine a world where everyone asks a friend to cover for them when faced with unfortunate circumstances. The idea of a world like this is ridiculous. By the “universal law” of Rhonda’s maxim Larry should also ask someone to take the blame for him, in order to avoid certain failures. The only other person in this situation is Rhonda and we have reached a stalemate. According to Kant, our duty as moral beings is not flexible. We are not to make an exception of ourselves. If we expect people to act in a certain way, in this case as responsible upstanding citizens, we are to act in that manner as well. While it is disappointing that Rhonda will lose all of her Ph.D. support at this moment and possibly postpone her life saving research discovery, this is a consequence that she should have considered earlier when she did NOT do her moral duty and accepted the liability of driving home after partaking in illegal substances. Clearly the right and moral duty in this case, by Kant’s principle is for Rhonda to accept the consequences that are in store for her poor choice of driving under the influence. By accepting fault in the accident, Rhonda will lose her Ph.D. financing, however, if she is indeed on a path to discovering a way of alleviating disease and starvation globally, there are other financial backers that will find and help her to complete thi... ... middle of paper ... ...she understands cause and effect. She also knows how to solve a problem. The new problem for her to solve is how to continue with her research once she has sorted out the legality of her situation; a moral compromise Rhonda must make for doing the right thing and taking personal responsibility. Rhonda had a lapse in judgment that ended very badly. While morally, she should be the one to confess to driving, she morally should not have to suffer the greatest consequences. I believe that by choosing to “do right thing” her ultimate outcome will produce the same effects, finding a means to relieve global suffering, will still come to fruition. By Kant’s definition of Categorical Imperative, and supported by various aspects of Moral Pluralism the choice that results in the minimal acceptable moral outcome is for Rhonda to take responsibility for driving the car.
Kant made a distinction between two types of duties which are hypothetical imperatives and categorical imperatives. Hypothetical imperatives are rules or duties people ought to observe if certain ends are to be achieved. Hypothetical imperatives are sometimes called “if-then” imperatives, which are condit...
German philosopher Immanuel Kant popularized the philosophy of deontology, which is described as actions that are based on obligation rather than personal gain or happiness (Rich & Butts, 2014). While developing his theory, Kant deemed two qualities that are essential for an action to be deemed an ethical. First, he believed it was never acceptable to sacrifice freedom of others to achieve a desired goal. In other words, he believed in equal respect for all humans. Each human has a right for freedom and justice, and if an action takes away the freedom of another, it is no longer ethical or morally correct. Secondly, he held that good will is most important, and that what is good is not determined by the outcome of the situation but by the action made (Johnson, 2008). In short, he simply meant that the consequences of a situation do not matter, only the intention of an action. Kant also declared that for an act to be considered morally correct, the act must be driven by duty alone. By extension, there could be no other motivation such as lo...
...reserving the principle of autonomous decisions could be considered somewhat more plausible. Essentially the only fault being addressed is the conflicting action, as a conflict no longer occurs. Objections remain based on the inclusion of moral agents exclusively and the promoting of individual’s goals, while introducing the additional problem of self-interest that accompanies prominent autonomy. The theory remains at fault, as it cannot be adequately amended by a single change. Sally’s prescriptive moral theory “picks and choses” from other existing theories and combines them to make a hybrid theory. Doing so creates difficulties as the overlap reduces clarity and limits the strength of any individual argument. This is a challenge that cannot be overlooked; Sally’s theory fails to show structural reliability and is hence too problematic to have sound moral worth.
Philosophy is one’s oxygen. Its ubiquitous presence is continuously breathed in and vital to survival, yet its existence often goes unnoticed or is completely forgotten. Prussian philosopher Immanuel Kant was one of the many trees depositing this indispensable system of beliefs into the air. Philosophy is present in all aspects of society, no matter how prominent it may be. As Kant was a product of the Scientific Revolution in Europe, the use of reason was an underlying component in the entirety of his ideas. One of his main principles was that most human knowledge is derived from experience, but one also may rely on instinct to know about something before experiencing it. He also stated that an action is considered moral based on the motive behind it, not the action itself. Kant strongly believed that reason should dictate goodness and badness (McKay, 537). His philosophies are just as present in works of fiction as they are in reality. This is exemplified by Lord of the Flies, a fiction novel written by William Golding. The novel strongly focuses on the origins of evil, as well as ethics, specifically man’s treatment of animals and those around him. Kant’s philosophy is embedded in the thoughts and actions of Piggy, Ralph, Jack, and Simon throughout the novel. Kant’s beliefs also slither into “Snake,” a poem by D.H. Lawrence, focusing on the tainting of the pure human mind by societal pressures and injustices. Overall, both the poet in “Snake” and Piggy, Ralph, Jack, and Simon in Lord of the Flies showcase Immanuel Kant’s theories on ethics, reasoning, and nature.
Many great philosophers have attempted to tackle the issue of ethics and, consequently, have come up with various ethical theories in order to define ethical and moral situations. In this paper, I will be summarizing a scene from the 2004, Academy Award winning film, Crash, and further analyzing it in terms of the ethical theories of Immanuel Kant. In terms of this scene, I will be arguing that Kant’s ethical theory provides a satisfactory analysis of its ethicality.
Categorical imperatives are the basis of morality because they provoke pure reasons for every human beings actions. By the end of his work, one will understand Kant’s beliefs on morality, but to explain this, he goes into depth on the difference between hypothetical imperatives and Categorical Imperative, two different formulations of the Categorical Imperative, and a few examples. According to Kant, there are two types on imperatives, categorical imperatives and hypothetical imperatives. The Categorical Imperative is based on relation and not by means, which hypothetical imperatives are based on.
So, over all, this helps you get a better understanding that ethical dilemmas happen for all people, in all walks of life, in many different situations. It shows us we must pay attention to our actions and the actions of others around us. As long as we follow the rules, and ask for a little direction when we don’t know what to do, we will all be better off in our careers as helpers.
permissible for a person to act in that manner by seeing if it would be
As opposed to Naturalism, the ethical theory of duty occupies a completely different domain. Immanuel Kant, the major advocate of this ethical appro...
PURPOSE: To persuade my audience NOT to drink and drive Every person is accountable for his or her own “right to drink”. Failure to treat this or any “right” responsibly has consequences. The person’s “right” can and should be taken away when the failure to act responsibly endangers others.
What would you do if you had the opportunity to take and raise an innocent little girl whose mother is a drug addict? That was the dilemma Doyle, a sheriff, faced in the move Gone Baby Gone. Two detectives, Patrick and Angie, are on the case of finding a missing little girl, and they finally stumble on her at Doyle’s house. Doyle had assisted with parts of the case, and had said nothing. He took the little girl, so that she would have a better life. In the end, Patrick turns Doyle over to the authorities, and the little girl is returned to her mother. Who was moral in this situation? Patrick or Doyle? Patrick is a perfect example of Kant’s standard for morality by his action from and in accord with duty. In this essay, Kant’s theory will be explained and then applied to the actions of both Patrick and Doyle.
Through his discussion of morals in the Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant explores the question of whether a human being is capable of acting solely out of pure duty and if our actions hold true moral value. In passage 407, page 19, Kant proposes that if one were to look at past experiences, one cannot be certain that his or her rationalization for performing an action that conforms with duty could rest solely on moral grounds. In order to fully explain the core principle of moral theory, Kant distinguishes between key notions such as a priori and a posteriori, and hypothetical imperative vs. categorical imperative, in order to argue whether the actions of rational beings are actually moral or if they are only moral because of one’s hidden inclinations.
This is quite difficult. What is more, the less extreme case, in which there is no conflict between moral requirement and what is one’s projects, is not less difficult. That is, even if there were no conflict, the agent would still have to conceptual from her projects and assume a neutral observation of the situation. With the central role that is attributed to individual’s commitments, Kant’s moral theory can be deemed objectionable. That one’s attachment to a person may influence his or her moral reaction when need arise differently than when it is a case of an individual who has no attachment to any of the person’s that should lend a helping hand. This may seem convincing enough to object Kant’s theory and stand on
The professor first must identify a possible maxim of the situation, or the rule of thumb, for the first formulation. The professor’s maxim for this dilemma is to not report his plagiarism to school. If everyone followed that maxim, the professor could still do this. Regardless, it’s not desirable to live in a world where everyone followed said maxim. Then, analyze the maxim with the second formulation, which asks if a moral agent is used as a means in this decision. The professor is being used as a means by the student to avoid the consequences of plagiarism. As a result, this maxim is morally wrong according to Kant. However, there is another possible maxim the professor can follow, which is to tell the truth to the administration and report Charlie for plagiarism. One can conclude with the first formulation that this maxim can still be used if everyone did it and that a world where everyone followed this maxim is desirable. The second formulation also states that this maxim does not use anyone as a means to reach and end. Therefore, the latter maxim is a morally right action according to Kant. With the categorical imperative, the professor can conclude that the Kantian decision is to tell the truth and report the
If we desire X, we ought to do Y. However, categorical imperatives are not subject to conditions. The Categorical Imperative is universally binding to all rational creatures because they are rational. Kant proposes three formulations: the Categorical Imperative in his Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morality, the Universal Law formulation, Humanity or End in Itself formulation, and Kingdom of Ends formulation. In this essay, the viability of the Universal Law formulation is tested by discussing two objections to it, mainly the idea that the moral laws are too absolute and the existence of false positives and false negatives.