Some hold that Kant’s conception of autonomy requires the rejection of moral realism in favor of "moral constructivism." However, commentary on a little noticed passage in the Metaphysics of Morals (with the assistance of Kant’s Lectures and Reflexionen) reveals that the conception of legislation at the core of Kant’s conception of autonomy represents a decidedly anti-constructivist strand in his moral philosophy.
I. Summary: the Meaning of "Kant's Moral Constructivism"
A. John Rawls
In A Theory of Justice, although Rawls's method of generating principles of justice from a choice in the Original Position is described as "constructive", in the sense of "helpful to settle disputes", the idea of "constructivism" is hardly present. Constructivism, in the sense that interests us here, first plays a major role in Rawls's 1980 Dewey Lectures, "Kantian Constructivism in Moral Theory", where Rawls clarifies his own project as a limited programme in political theory, not in moral philosophy in general, a programme he has also described as something "political, not metaphysical". (2) There Rawls proposes a procedure of construction that connects a particular conception of the person with first principles of justice. In his article "Themes" Rawls emphasizes a similar idea in his interpretation of Kant moral philosophy, leading him to speak of what he calls "Kant's moral constructivism".
In "Themes" Rawls begins with an outline of the "CI-Procedure" (where CI is an abbreviation for "categorical imperative"), which he sees as something given or laid out, based on the conception of free and equal persons as "reasonable" and "rational". The procedure specifies the first principles of right and justice, and through the procedure the...
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...or" of the moral law. KGS IV, 431.
(28) "Würde man unter dem Legislator einen autorem legis verstehen, so würde dieses bloß statutarische Gesetze betreffen. Gesetzen aber, die aus der Natur der Sache durch die Vernunft erkannt werden, wenn man denen einen auctorem beilegt, so kann er nur autor der Verbindlichkeit sein, die im Gesetz enthalten ist. ... unter dem autore eines natürlichen Gesetzes nur der Urheber der Verbindlichkeit nach dem Imperativ des Gesetzes gedacht werden kann...""Metaphysik der Sitten Vigilantius", KGS XXVII, 544-45.
(29) "...sind nicht positive Gesetze." "Moral Mrongovius II", KGS XXIX, 634.
(30) My thanks to Profs. Otfried Höffe, Karl Ameriks, David Solomon, and audiences at the University of Tübingen and the 1998 APA Pacific Division Meetings and my commentator there, Mark LeBar, for helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper.
Another way in which the confidence in Tsarist rule could have been affected is by the fact that those who did criticise Rasputin usually exaggerated their points in order to actually be heard by the public, falsifying most of their arguments, although it still caught traction amongst the public in Russian cities. The reason as to why Rasputin was so close to the Tsar and Tsarina was due to the fact that he was believed to heal their son’s haemophilia, which coincidently, began to get better once Rasputin started treating him, overwhelming the Tsarina with admiration for Rasputin. This weakness in which their son had was kept from the public, which is why suspicion aroused as to the aim of the tsar for letting a Siberian peasant to live in the palace near his family. The people of Russia al...
"Do Not Go Gentle" is an emotional plea to Dylan's aging father to stay alive and fight death, without altering his individualism. In other words, Dylan wants his father to take his life into his own hands and control his own destiny. "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" (Thomas 2570), a line that is repeated throughout the poem, best su...
Throughout the article “Pave the Planet or Wear Shoes” the author discusses the issue of the relationship between the current capitalist economy and the values that it promotes on society. While discussing that relationship the author incorporates certain Buddhist principles that relate to the overall problems that result from the current economic system. The main problem that arises with the current capitalist economy is that it brings a “staggering ecological impact” and an “unequal distribution of new wealth” (88). The values of greed and delusion that this economic system promotes does not fully support the entire global economy, and this is why the author uses the metaphor “Pave the Planet or Wear Shoes” as a solution to the problem. The metaphor is broken up into two parts giving two scenarios or solutions that the global economy will take in order to fix the economic problems of unequal distribution of wealth and the ecological impact.
...er and cause of death was drowning. According to an anonymous source, "Some would say that they had seen Rasputin leaving the city . . . of course none of this could be proven but it adds interesting spice to the story of a less than priestly priest whose healing powers seemed equaled by his seeming immortality. The part Rasputin played in Russian history has little to do with facts it comes from the tangled mass of hearsay and innuendo in which he was wrapped. It was not so much what Rasputin did but what he was rumored to do that mattered in history. In this respect he was, literally, a legend in his own time. The legend was known to the whole of Russia, the man to very few. Even the manner of his death was legendary, nor do the legends end with his death. Grigorii Yefimovich Rasputin lead one of the unusual and mysterious life and death stories ever lived. The early life, the Russian influence he gained, and the death of this amazing man all contribute to his legend. Many believed Rasputin was mad, but he was not mad he was a man of spiritual healing in an unknown form. Aristotle sums it up best in saying, "There was never a genius without a tincture of madness."
Chopin, Kate. "Desiree's Baby." In An Introduction to Literature Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, by Sylvan Barnet, William Burto and William E. Cain, edited by Joseph Terry, 82-86. New York, NY: Pearson Longman, 2006.
Thomas." The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry. New York: W. W. Norton, 2003. 101-10. Print.
Although there are countless moral theories that have been accepted throughout the all of human history, American philosopher John Rawls’ contractarian approach stands out from the rest. Whereas most of the other widely recognized theories, such as Consequentialism or Utilitarianism, focus primarily on the results of the action in question, Rawl’s theory has a different basis. The focus of contractarianism is predominantly on the original position the debating parties were in, which happens to be behind a veil of ignorance. Contractarianism seems as though it would be a perfect moral theory that would solve all the world’s problems, including the problems raised by Harry Gensler toward cultural relativism. However, as the cliché goes—it’s just too good to be true.
An example of this can be found in the short story “Désirée’s Baby,” published in 1893, which is a story of Southern views on race relations, in particular the obsession with the purity of blood and the mixing of the races. As Sharon Harris points out in “Désirée’s Baby, she brings together many of her themes: miscegenation, women’s restricted lives, the injustice of social codes” (Harris). Désirée’s husband Armand wants nothing to do with her and their baby after it becomes obvious that the baby has black blood. Armand assumes that the baby inherited this from Désirée’s. All the love Armand has for Désirée and the baby disappear with the knowledge that they are “tainted” with black blood. “Moreover he no longer loved her, because of the unconscious injury she had brought upon his home and his name. She turned away like one stunned by a blow, and walked slowly towards the door, hoping he would call her back. “Good-by, Armand,” she moaned. He did not answer her. That was his last blow at fate.” (Chopin). Désirée takes the baby and walks into the bayou never to be heard from again. The reader is left to wonder not only if she killed herself and if she did so because she was rejected by Armand or because she realized that she had black
(6) Habermas’ claim that Kant subordinates law to morality—because the legitimacy of law is derived from the categorical imperative—can be contested. If one sees that for Kant the categorical imperative underlies both law and morality, one can object to the use of the term "subordinate" by Habermas as an inaccurate description of the relation between law and morality.
Grigori Rasputin and his relationship with the Romanovs: Rasputin was a religious teacher born in 1872, who was known for mystical healing powers and hypnotic abilities. He managed to convince Alexandra and her ailing son, both Romanovs, to allow him to make important political decisions. He opposed reforms and spread corruption throughout the courts. In 1916 a group of aristocrats tied to poison him but to no avail. He was then shot and drowned (Beck et al. 770).
Among the greatest mysteries of Russian history is the influence of the Mad Monk Grigori Rasputin. During his time in court 1907-1916, Rasputin developed a complex relationship with the ruling Romanovs and leading ministers due to his mystical ability to treat the hemophilia of the sole heir to the throne, Tsarevich Alexei.
Before the Russian Revolution, Russia was going through some hard times. In Russia, during the early 1900’s, there was a huge difference between the rich and the poor. There was a large number of peasants living in poverty. On the other hand, there was a restricted amount of people living in a life of lavish, who owned large plots of land, and had servants to tend to their needs. Czar Nicholas II was one of the few that was living a life of luxury, which angered the peasants. What also angered the peasants was a man named Rasputin. Rasputin lived with the Romanovs because he claimed that he had magical powers that could cure Nicholas II’s son’s disease: haemophilia. When World War I came along...
When discussing the different aspects of New Criticism in Dylan Thomas’s poem “Do Not Go Gentle into The Good Night”, the impression that comes to mind is death. The use of imagery was a necessity for Dylan Thomas to express the different techniques of writing which involved a mixture of surrealistic and metaphysical tones. His ability to change a words meaning to incorporate symbolism is noticeable in circle of unity from life to death and renewed life.
There is not the same focus on compassion and emotions that would be found with the ethics of care. The authors conclude that the ethics of justice contain three concepts; “principles, purpose, and results” (p.126). Rawls (2009) agrees and adds that the major components of justice theory are equity, objectivity, and neutrality. The idea that justice should be fair to all those involved, which creates a system where there should be consistent ethical decisions appears to be a guiding concept of justice. Rawls (2009) would contend that through the theory of justice that there is a social contract. The theory values people as free, rational, and autonomous. The focus on the ethics of justice is on rights, laws, fairness, and equity. The terms of the contract would agree in principle that each person would act according to their own personal
The Categorical Imperative is a philosophical idea that has some important main ideas. The first one is that one must act as if the maxim that you are following is a universal law (if everyone else did it), secondly one must never treat a person as a way to achieve your goal. The idea of the Categorical Imperative was conceived by German philosopher Immanuel Kant, who lived from 1724 to 1804 (Rolff). Kant, famous for his other writings in metaphysics, aesthetics, and epistemology, was no amateur in the philosophical world of time, also contributing ideas to political science. In this paper, I will summarize the portion of the article in Reason and Responsibility by Joel Feinberg and Russ Shafer-Landau that carries Kant’s most important work