Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
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Outline
Class Introduction:
- biographical and bibliographical notes
- deontology, rationalism and absolutism
- subject of the Groundwork
- To whom is it addressed?
- How it is organized?
- What kind of ethical theory does it provide?
Text:
Preface
- The parallels and differences between physics and ethics
- The nature of a "pure" moral philosophy and its basis
- The role of experience
- The nature of practical reason
- Relation to religion
- Kant's aim and the objective of the Groundwork
First section:
- Kant's starting point
- The "good will" as good without qualification
- The role of reason in ethics and the relation of reason to happiness
- The kinds of motive and duty as the only moral motive
- The relation of motive to the good will. The 1st proposition of morality
- The nature of maxims. The 2nd proposition of morality.
- The law and duty as acting out of reverence for the law. The 3rd proposition
of morality
- The universalization of one's maxim and the 4th proposition of morality
Second section:
- "Popular moral philosophy" and why Kant is opposed to it.
- Imperatives and the law. Hypothetical and categorical imperatives.
How the categorical imperative differs from the hypothetical
- Synthetic a priori propositions
- The function of the `categorical imperative'
- The application of the categorical imperative: perfect and imperfect
duty
- Ends in themselves and the reformulation of the categorical imperative.
Implications and applications to perfect and imperfect duties.
- Why the categorical imperative is binding: autonomy and heteronomy.
- Ends in themselves and the `kingdom of ends'
- Autonomy and human dignity
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Criticisms of
Kant