Unit 5: Deontology
Deontology
refer to the study of duty and
obligation.
the moral theory that evaluates
actions that are done because of
the duty
comes from the Greek word deon
which is “being necessary”
Immanuel Kant
One of the most influential philosophers
in the history of Western Philosophy.
 His contributions to metaphysics,
epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics
have had a profound impact on almost
every philosophical movement that
followed him.
who wrote one of the most important
works on moral philosophy, Ground
towards a Metaphysics of Morals.
Ground towards a Metaphysics of
Morals
In this work, Kant brings our attention
to the fact that we, human beings,
have faculty called the rational.
Kant argues that the rightness of an
action is determined by the principle
that a person chooses to act upon.
Ground towards a Metaphysics of
Morals
In this book, Kant seeks to answer the
question, “What is the basis for morality?”
Kant begins by arguing that morality is
based on reason, not on feeling. He then
goes on to explain that the bases of
morality is the “categorical imperative”,
which is a command to act in a way that
is universally accepted as right.
Rational Faculty
our capacity to act according to
principles that we determine for
ourselves.
The ability of the human mind to
reason and make logical
decision.
“supreme principle of morality”
it is supposedly supreme because
basing it on the faculty of the
reason, it becomes binding for all
creatures that have that faculty.
According to Aristotle…..
argues that what separates human
beings from the other animals is the
human reason.
So the good life is one in which a person
cultivates and exercises their rational
faculties by, for instance, engaging in
scientific inquiry, philosophical
discussion, artistic creation, or legislation.
Autonomy
Kant claims that the property of the
rational will is autonomy, which is the
opposite of heteronomy.
Part of what it means to have reason and
will is to be autonomous---self governing.
When we use people, we violate this
autonomy and no longer treat them as
people, but as objects or things.
Free Choice
the choice that can be determined by
pure reason.
Free will describes our capacity to make
choices that are genuinely our own.
Free will comes moral responsibility—our
ownership of our good and bad deeds.
That ownership indicates that if we make
a choice that is good, we deserve the
resulting rewards.
Animal
Choice
or
Arbitrium
Brutum
•human freedom in
connection with its
capacity to intervene or to
mediate.
Human
choice
•a choice that may indeed
be affected but not
determined by impulses.