Groundwork Of Metaphysics Of Morals: Subjective Principle Of Volition

Key Concepts * Kant: Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals Maxim: This is a rule for action that you personally endorse. It is a “subjective principle of volition”. Imperative: Expresses an “ought” not an “is” and is the formulation of a command of reason which applies to creatures like us since we have rational wills. There are two kinds of imperatives (RTD p. 66): 1 Hypothetical imperatives are things that we ought to do in order to achieve something else we desire (e.g. helping others to increase your prestige). These do not reflect the moral law. 2 Categorical imperatives are things that we ought to do for their own sake regardless of whatever else we might desire (e.g. helping others). These do reflect the moral law. Two Formulations of the Categorical Imperative: 1 Act only on those maxims you can will as universal laws (RTD p. 66). 2 Act only on those maxims that treat oneself or others always as an end, never merely as a means (Blackboard Kant Reading: p. 333). * Ross: The Right and the Good Prima Facie Duty: What you ought to do all things held equal, or what you ought to do when this is not in conflict with other things you ought to do (Blackboard Ross Reading: p. 477). Duty Proper: Considered opinion as to what you ought to do in a particular situation. You must weigh all of the relevant prima facie duties in light of the facts of the situation (Blackboard Ross Reading: p. 477). * Nagel: Moral Luck Moral Luck: Occurs when we still morally judge what someone has done despite the fact that a significant aspect of what that person has done depends on factors beyond that person’s control (Blackboard Nagel Reading: p. 804). Paradox of Moral Responsibility: A person can be morally responsible only for what that person does; but what that person does results from a great deal that the person does not do; therefore the person is not morally responsible for what the person is and is not responsible for (Blackboard Nagel Reading: p. 808). * Bentham: An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation Utilitarianism consists of three main tenets: i) Hedonism: pleasure is the sole intrinsic good, ii) Altruism: one must weigh the good of every person equally with one’s own good, iii) Consequentialism: one should produce the most expected good. Bentham’s act-utilitarian decision procedure: (a) Start with a particular action and a particular person whose interests seem most immediately affected by the action. (b) Consider the value of each pleasure and pain produced by the action relative to this individual. (c) Consider the value of each pleasure (pain) produced by the first pleasure (pain) relative to this individual (fecundity). (d) Sum up the values of pleasure and pain and this should give the good tendency (if pleasures greater) or bad tendency (if pains greater) of the action relative to the individual in question. (e) Repeat the above process for each individual whose interests are affected by the action to determine whether the tendency of the action is good on the whole or bad on the whole i.e., with respect to the community affected by the action (Blackboard Bentham Reading pp. 359-361). * Mill: Utilitarianism Greatest Happiness Principle: Actions are right insofar as they tend to promote happiness, wrong insofar as they tend to produce unhappiness (RTD p. 30). Mill is a rule-utilitarian: By “actions,” Mill means act-types (e.g., murder) rather than an individual action (e.g., the murder of a certain person). The Greatest Happiness Principle delivers rules of morality. * Brandt: Some Merits of One Form of Rule Utilitarianism Act Utilitarianism: “An act is objectively right if no other act the agent could perform would produce better consequences.” Rule Utilitarianism: “The rightness of an act is fixed, not be its relative utility, but by the utility of having a relevant moral rule, or of most or all members of a certain class of acts being...