HRE4M
Immanual Kant (1724-1804)
Individual Morality and Duties to Oneself
Deontological Ethics - relating to moral theories:
relating to philosophical theories that state that the
moral content of an action is not wholly dependent
on its consequences.
* Morality is not just about society or interpersonal conflict
* You have to have self-respect before you can respect others (i.e. consider a drunkard,
he may not do harm to others and perhaps he may not even harm himself, nonetheless,
Kant argues that such a person becomes for others an object of moral contempt. Such
a person degrades himself; he loses his inner worth as a moral subject.
* You must fulfill your duty to yourself before you can fulfill it to others
You should know that you are a valuable person; the queen should be honoured to meet
you.
The Basis of Self-Regarding Duties
* Freedom is the ultimate determining principle of Kant's ethical system
* However it is not an unbridled freedom, rather it is a freedom that must be subjected to
what he called objective determination, which places restrictions on our freedom.
* These restrictions stem from rational understanding.
* When freedom is understood and used properly, it is subjected to the supreme rule
which necessitates that one ought to restrain one's freedom so that it conforms to the
essential "ends of humanity."
* When we do this we are not merely acting out of inclination as animals do. In fact
when animals act out of inclination disorderliness is impossible. If humans acted out of
inclination we are likely to degenerate into complete savage disorder. This state would
place us below animals.
*For Kant, if we are to retain our human dignity we should not enslave ourselves to our
inclinations, but determine for ourselves through rational thought what those inclinations
will be and what constraints will be placed upon them.
* In determining how we should act, Kant says, "The supreme rule is that in all the
actions which affect himself a man should so conduct himself that every exercise of his
power is compatible with the fullest employment of them."
* Any actions which incapacitate us or make us incapable of using our freedom and our
powers are fully wrong. (i.e. if one drinks too much, their thinking becomes impaired and
their physical coordination deteriorates. Under these circumstances, on cannot
exercise full freedom as one's physical and psychological powers are weakened.
HRE4M
Proper Self-Respect
* If we are to maintain our human worth and dignity, we must develop proper self-
respect, which is comprised of two components:
1) Humility
2) Noble Pride
*Humility comes from facing the moral law. Recognizing our imperfections in view of
the perfect moral law; we curb our self-conceit and develop true humbleness.
* If we have a low opinion of ourselves it should derive from a recognition that we are
weak in our transgressions of the law. We should not, however, become dejected or
despairing because we do not feel strong enough to follow the moral law.
*Noble pride is displayed when we consider ourselves as equal in comparison with the
other human beings. It is not feeling superior to others. We also should not have a low
opinion of ourselves when we measure ourselves against others.
* The remedy for dejection is found in God. According to Kant, through faith and prayer
we can find hope and the necessary strength to act in accordance with the moral law.
* As imperfect beings we should be humbled by the moral law, however we should also
possess self-esteem which comes from self-love. Kant calls this "pragmatic self-
respect." It is valuable as it promotes confidence in ourselves.
* Kant distinguishes between pragmatic self-respect and moral self-esteem.
* Moral self-esteem is based on how well we act in accordance with the moral law. *
The moral law acts as a standard of ethical evaluation.
Conscience
* Our conscience acts the same way social authorities do in regards to those who
violate the society (i.e. thieves are punished by judges who impose sentences on them).
* Kant differentiates the moral evaluation of actions between judgments of prudence
and judgments of conscience. In a judgment of prudence there is only a semblance of
conscience. An example of this would be a deathbed repentance. Kant argues that this
is not true remorse for immoral acts, rather it is done out of the fear of the awaiting
eternal punishment. If death were not imminent there would be no fear and hence no
remorse.
* To have a conscience, then, on must have a sense of the inherent wickedness of the
act being contemplated or committed, irrespective of the consequences which flow from
the act. But recognizing the inherent wickedness is not enough. There must be moral
repentance, regret, or penitence. An effort must be put forward to satisfy the debt we
owe to the moral law. For example, we must remedy any injustices committed against
others.
