DEONTOLOGY (IMMANUEL KANT’S ETHICS)

(A written Discussion by Fr. Joseph A. Y. Garrido)

DEONTOLOGY - MEANS AN ETHICS WITHOUT ANY METAPHYSICAL OR RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLE. IT IS

CHOOSING TO BE GOOD BASED ON WHO WE ARE AS PERSONS THAT IS WE ARE RATIONAL AND THIS
RATIONALITY IS ASSUMED AS GOOD.

TRANSLATION: FOR KANT, ANG PAGKABOUTAN DILI TUNGOD KAY NAHADLOK TAS GINOO O TUNGOD
KAY NAAY MGA ESPIRITU NGA MAOY NAGBOUT NGA MAGBINUOTAN TA OR TUNGOD KAY MAHADLOK
TAS ATONG MGA GINIKANAN O TEACHERS O KINSA PA NANGA MGA HARI DIHA. KANT SAID
MAGBINOUTAN TA KAY NAA TAY UTOK O NAA TAY KAUGALINGONG PANGHUNAHUNA. ANG TARONG
NGA UTOK O DILI LIKI OR CRACKED NGA UTOK (Metaphorically) IS ALWAYS TOWARDS WHAT IS RIGHT
OR WHAT IS GOOD. KANT ASSUMED NGA KUNG WALA LANG TAY SAKIT SA ULO OR MENTAL PROBLEM
ANG TARONG NGA TAWO BOUTAN GYUD NA KAY AS RATIONAL BEING WE KNOW OR WE CAN KNOW
WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG AND WHAT IS TRUE OR FALSE OR WHAT IS GOOD AND BAD.

FOR KANT, OUR REASON HAS THE CAPACITY TO KNOW A PRIORI THE MORAL COMMANDS. THIS
COMMANDS IS ALSO CALLED IMPERATIVES. IMPERATIVES ARE COMMANDS NOT BY SOMEONE ELSE
NOT EVEN GOD (ALTHOUGH GOD’S COMMANDS ARE ALSO GOOD) BUT THE POINT IS AS RATIONAL
BEINGS (MGA TAWO NGA NAAY HUNAHUNA) DILI NATO PWEDE SUPAKON UNSAY INGON SA ATONG
UTOK.

QUESTION: HOW DO WE KNOW THAT THESE COMMANDS OR THESE CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE?

FOUNDATIONS OF CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE:

1. PURE REASON - THE BASE OF YOUR DECISION IS NOT OTHERS BUT YOUR OWN REASON
OR RATIONALITY
2. GOOD WILL - THIS IS THE ASSUMPTION THAT EVEN IF WE ARE NOT GOOD SOMETIMES.
THERE IS THIS GOODNESS IN ALL OF US BECAUSE ALL PEOPLE ARE RATIONAL (SAKTO UG
PANGUTOK UNLESS NAAY PROBLEMA SA PANGUTOK)
3. RESPECT THE LAW - OUR RATIONALITY IS INCLINED TO FOLLOW THE LAW, WITH THE
ASSUMPTION THAT LAWS ARE FOR THE COMMON GOOD (UNLESS THE LAWS ARE
OBVIOUSLY NO LONGER GEARED TOWARDS COMMON GOOD)
4. DUTY - THIS IS THE ONLY MOTIVATION IN BEING A MORAL PERSON. WE MUST BE GOOD
BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE. IN A NUTSHELL, IT MEANS, ‘DOING
WHAT IS RIGHT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO”.

WHY IS IT CONSIDERED A DUTY? OR AN OBLIGATION? (TO BE GOOD IS OUR DUTY, AN OUGHT, A MUST,
AN OBLIGATION)
MAGING MABAIT, GAWIN ANG TAMA AT DAPAT DAHIL ANG PAGIGING MABAIT AY SYANG DAPAT AT
TAMANG GAGAWIN BILANG TAO NA MAY TAMANG PAG-IISIP.

DILI NIMO PWEDE LIMBONGAN ANG IMONG SAKTONG PANGHUNAHUNA NGA IKAW MISMO MUTUO
NA SA IMONG KAUGALINGONG BAKAK. Kay ang imong utok mismo nag-ingon sayop imong action or dili
tama imong gibuhat.

KUNG MANGOPYA KA EXAMPLE SA EXAM, ANG IMONG SAKTONG HUNAHUNA MOINGON GYUD NGA
DILI SAKTO IMONG GIBUHAT.

YES, PWEDE TA MOINGON:

“HALA NAKASALA KO SA GINOO,”

“HALA NAKASALA KO NI SIR OR MAAM”

FOR KANT, PWEDE KA MAKAINGON:

“HALA, ANG AKONG UTOK MISMO ANG NAG INGON DILI SAKTO AKONG GIBUHAT”

WHY? BECAUSE OUR RATIONALITY ALWAYS KNOW WHAT IS GOOD AND OUR RATIONALITY COMMANDS
US TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT BECAUSE IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

FOR KANT, WE ARE GOOD NOT BECAUSE OF “HETERONOMIC MORALITY” (MAHADLOK TAS GINOO OR
SA MGA AUTHORITIES BASIN BUNALAN OR PRISOHON OR SILOTAN TA MAONG MAGBINUOTAN TA) BUT
WE MUST HAVE ‘MORAL AUTONOMY” (AS MATURE AND RATIONAL BEING, MAGBINUOTAN KO KAY
MAO NI ANG DAPAT ISIP TAWO NGA NAA SA SAKTONG PANGUTOK O PANGHUNAHUNA)

MORE SO, AS RATIONAL I HAVE TO FOLLOW MY RATIONALITY TREATING IT AS AN OBLIGATION OR

DUTY. DUTY MEANS WHAT IS OUGHT TO BE DONE. IN SHORT, THIS IS NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU FEEL OR
LIKE BUT THE DECISION IS BASED FROM YOUR RATIONAL NATURE.

THEREFORE, IT IS A COMMAND OR AN IMPERATIVE (USA KA SUGO NGA DAPAT TUMANON). BUT THESE
ARE “MORAL” IMPERATIVES. (SUGO SA MAAYONG PAMATASAN)

EXAMPLE:

AYAW PAGPATAY

AYAW PANGAWAT

AYAW PAMANGAK
DI BA NAA MAN NIS 10 COMMANDMENTS? UNSAON MAN ANI PAGKAHIMO NGA SUGO NGA SA UTOK
GIKAN?

FOR KANT, TO BE MORAL IS TO ACT RIGHTLY. THUS, A DUTY MEANS AN INVITATION TO DO OR TO ACT.
(UNSAY DAPAT NAKO BUHATON ACCORDING SA AKONG MAAYONG UTOK). WHAT ARE THE
CATEGORIES?

1. THAT THIS HAS TO BE UNIVERSAL. IT MEANS KINI NGA SUGO APPLICABLE SA TANAN. (KUNG DILI
PWEDE MAGPATAY NGANONG USAHAY NAA MAY MGA TAWO NGA NAG INGON NGA NAAY
UBAN NGA PWEDE PATYON?).
 Act according to the maxim that you would wish all other rational people to follow, as if
it were a universal law. For Kant the GOOD involves the Principle of Universalizability!
 Kant argues that there can be four formulations of this principle:
i. The Formula of the Law of Nature: "Act as if the maxim of your action were to
become through your will a universal law of nature."
ii. The Formula of the End Itself: "Act in such a way that you always treat
humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never
simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end."
iii. The Formula of Autonomy: "So act that your will can regard itself at the same
time as making universal law through its maxims."
iv. The Formula of the Kingdom of Ends: "So act as if you were through your
maxims a law-making member of a kingdom of ends."

Never treat a person as a means to an end. Persons ARE always AN end in themselves. We must never
use or exploit anyone for whatever purpose.

NATURE

IN SHORT, SUGO KINI NGAAPPLICABLE SA TANAN. DILI SYA DOUBLE STANDARD NGA OKAY SA UBAN
PERO DILI OKAY SA UBAN. KUNG NAA KOY BUHATON KINI DAPAT DILI MAKAPASAKIT SA UBAN UG
PWEDE PUD BUHATON SA UBAN OR BUHATON SA TANAN.

KUNG PATYON NAKO ANG USA KA TAWO KAY ADIK SYA. PWEDE BA PUD NAKO PATYON ANG TAWO
TUNGOD KAY CHEATER SYA? OR KAY KAWATAN SYA? IF THIS WILL BE A UNIVERSAL LAW THEN
MANGAMATAY GYUD TANG TANAN.

KANT SAID, MAY ACTION TO BE MORAL SHOULD BE APPLICABLE TO ALL. IN FACT, IT SHOULD BE
“HUMANITY” AS THE END. MAKAAYO SA TAWO ANG AKONG MGA BUHATON. IT IS TOWARDS
RESPECTING EACH OTHER.

DILI NAKO PATYON ANG ADIK BISAN MAKASASALA SYA KAY POSIBLE SAYON PATYON ANG ADIK NGA WA
NAKO NAILHAN PERO DILI GYUD NAKO PWEDE PATYON ANG AKONG ADIK NGA PARYENTE OR
CLASSMATE OR FRIEND. THEN DILI SYA UNIVERSAL LAW BUT A DOUBLE STANDARD LAW OR PINILI
RAASA MAAPPLY. LIKE, TANAN DRUG PUSHER DAKPON PERO KUNG AKO NG ANAK MASAKPAN PWEDE
RA PASAYLOON? FOR KANT, A LAW MUST BE UNIVERSAL OR APPLICABLE TO ALL. THEREFORE, WE NEED
TO REFLECT USING OUR HEADS OR REASONS KUNG UNSAY DAPAT (INGON PA NINYO MINDSET BA!)
MAN AS END

WITHOUT JUDGMENT, IT SIMPLY MEANS, IN THE END ANG TAWO ANG PINAKA IMPORTANTE. OUR
ACTION SHOULD HAVE HUMANITY AS THE END AND NOT THE MEANS. SA BISAYA PA, TANAN NAKO
BUHATON ALANG SA KAAYOHAN SA KATAWHAN KAY SILAANG KATAPUSAN OR GOAL SAACTION UG DILI
LANG SILA BUTANG NGA GAMITON ARON MAKAB-OT ANG AKONG GUSTO.

AS A FAMOUS QUOTE SAID: “USE THINGS AND LOVE PEOPLE RATHER THAN LOVE THINGS BY USING
PEOPLE”

FREEDOM

FOR KANT, LAWS MUST BE BASED FROM MAN’S AUTONOMY. THUS, IT IS OUR DUTY ALSO TO CREATE
GOOD LAWS. AGAIN, LAWS NOT BASED FROM FEELINGS, OR PERSONAL DESIRES BUT FROM OUR GOOD
WILL ROOTED IN OUR BEING RATIONAL PERSONS.