Deontological Ethics

Immanuel Kant
 Ethics and Religion
• Ethics independent of Religion
– Because if we look to religion for our morality, were not all getting
the same answer
• It is religion that is in need of foundational ethics and not vice
versa
• When confronted with moral situations, a priori principles can
help us live ethically.
NOTE
a priori truth- A given proposition is knowable a priori if it can be known independent
of any experience other than the experience of learning the language in which the
proposition is expressed

a posteriori truth- is known on the basis of experience

 A Priori Principles of Ethical Living
• Autonomous Reason - foundation
• Goodwill – source
• Duty – motivation
 Autonomous Reason: The Foundation of
what is Ethical
• Internal
• Hypothetical Imperatives vs. Categorical
Imperatives
– Hypothetical Imperatives
• Most of the time, whether or not we ought to do something
is not really a moral choice – instead it’s just contingent to
our desires (if-then). It is prudence not MORALITY
– Categorical Imperatives
• Commands you must follow, regardless of your desires.
Moral obligation is derived from pure reason
 Autonomous Reason: The Foundation of
what is Ethical
• It doesn’t matter whether you want to be
moral or not – the moral law is binding in all of
us
• What is right or wrong is totally knowable by
using our intellect
• It is autonomous and discursive (talking to
themselves)
• It cannot be bended by external authorities
Goodwill: The Source of What is Ethical

• What is morally binding is rooted on reason as

“doable for human action.”
• It found at the very interiority of the self; free
from impositions of the outside world
• What we ought to do is relevant to us as
person
• Achievable and known through reason;
 Duty – motivation of What is Ethical

• “Duty” – is the obligation that follows what

reason deems as the action which is most
worthy of humanity.
• It must be known to reason, achievable,
doable good for the human will
 Duty – motivation of What is Ethical
• Why we do what we ought to do?
– Because it is our duty. Reason tells the human person to
do the obligation that is doable for the goodwill since it
is his/her duty. The good that is reachable for the will of
the person is, therefore, owned by him/her as a duty.
This then excludes any other external or internal
motivation for the human person for doing what s/he
ought to do: whether s/he likes or not; be it success or
failure; whether it comes with applause or accusation;
his/her reason simply binds him/her to do because it is
his/her duty
• Following Kant’s perspective, do you think it is
okey to lie?
 Obligation is Understood as:
• Man as an End in Him/Herself
• Autonomous
• Universalible
 Man as an End in Himself/Herself and
Universalizable
• Obligation cannot be passed on to others
• Human person in his/her integrity as reason
and goodwill is obliged to do his/her duty as
agent of action
• Other persons ought to be treated not as
instrument in the execution of what one
should to do but as fellow reasonable human
beings too
 References
Pasco, Marc Oliver, V. Fullente Suarez and
Agustin Martin G. Rodriguez. 2018. Ethics. C&E
Publishing, Philippines
Crash Course Philosophy. Kant and Categorical
imperatives
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
https://iep.utm.edu/apriori/