Immanuel Kant is famous for believing that morality is grounded in rationality, rather than personal desires. He also gives us a theory of inviolable moral imperatives: rules you must follow, no matter what, to do what is right. Most importantly, Kant holds that we have an unconditional duty to respect the freedom and dignity of rational beings. Today we will discuss whether we have inviolable moral duties and the importance of freedom and rational choice in living the good life.
Read This:
Interactive Essay: Act from Duty (Kant)
Key Concepts:
- Good will
- Duty vs. inclination
- Categorical imperative
Have questions or thoughts about the reading? Post them on PollEverywhere, and upvote any classmates’ responses that you’d like to cover in class. We’ll address the most upvoted responses during the Q&A part of class.
Watch This:
Do This:
- Register for How We Argue. (See Canvas announcement or “How We Argue” assignment page for more information.)
- Recommended: Complete lessons 1-6 of How We Argue by Sunday, Sep 22.
Pre-Class Questions
With each day’s reading, you will be given a set of questions to help you check your understanding of the material and prepare for class. Your responses are due on Canvas before class. See the syllabus for grading information. Your top 15 scores of the semester will count toward your final grade.
- In your own words, describe one significant difference between utilitarianism and Immanuel Kant’s moral theory.
- Describe a scenario (real or imagined) where this difference would lead to different moral judgments or decisions, and explain why.
Living the Good Life
For each class topic, you’ll be given at least one prompt for a longer (~300 word) written reflection. You may write up to two reflections in the first half of the semester and up to two in the second half of the semester. You can also revise and resubmit one reflection for a new grade, within one week after your grade is posted. Your top three scores will count toward your final grade. Any “Living the Good Life” reflections addressing prompts from the Morality unit (“Learn to Live Well” through “Don’t Obsess About Morality”) are due on Canvas by 11:59pm on September 27.
Make a list of three rules that express a respect for human rationality and autonomy (your own and other people’s), and try to follow these rules strictly for three days. Aim for rules that will challenge you to meet a higher moral standard than usual. (For example, “never murder” is a rule that expresses respect for others, but hopefully would not be challenging for any of us to follow!) At the end of each day, reflect on your actions and decisions, noting any instances where you broke any of your rules, as well as any instances where you overcame a temptation to do so. At the end of the three days, write a 2-3 paragraph reflection on your experience that addresses the following questions:
- How easy did you find it to follow your three rules? What was the greatest difficulty you encountered?
- What did you find most surprising, striking, or memorable in this activity?
- Based on your experience, what conclusions can you draw about Kantian ethics? For example, what do you see as the main pros and cons of striving to live by a Kantian moral code?
