Deck 10: Deontology: Kant

Question 1

For an action to be a good action in Kant's schema,the agent cannot take pleasure in doing it.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Briefly explain the difference between autonomy and heteronomy.

Answer 2

Answers will vary.A sufficient response should/would discuss that autonomy is acting in accordance with laws that all rational agents would be bound by;that heteronomy is acting out of some nonrational drive,either external (force)or internal (self-interest);and/or that agents can act in the same way for autonomous or heteronomous reasons.

Question 3

Many critics have pointed at the problems of so-called "fast fashion," which produces inexpensive clothes that companies are able to change as trends change.They point to instances like the 2013 collapse of a building full of garment workers to show the dangers of these practices.Using Kant's formulation of the humanity version of the categorical imperative,discuss if it is ethical to purchase cheaply produced clothes.

Answer 3

Answers will vary.A sufficient response should/might explain the ends/means formulation of the categorical imperative,the possibility that workers are not being treated as ends in themselves,and/or the consumer's ethical responsibility for how purchased goods are manufactured.

Question 4

Explain why Kant believes it would be morally wrong to lie to the murderer at the door.Do you agree with his reasoning? Why or why not?

Question 5

Imagine that Johanna shows from an early age both an aptitude for learning and unusual dexterity in her fingers. She considers various career paths that would maximize the use of these talents: surgeon,pianist,and scientist.In the end,she decides that she would rather not work at all.Why does Kant believe it is ethically wrong for her to neglect her talents?

A) If she does not contribute to society,she would be merely using others as a means to her ends of mindless enjoyment.
B) Fostering one's talents is a perfect duty that applies in all circumstances,universally.
C) Society will be worse off without the benefit of her talents.
D) There is a contradiction in willing the universalization of the maxim "one ought to neglect one's talents."

Question 6

What is the relationship between duty and good will?

A) Duty is the mediator between the will and knowledge.
B) Duty derives from a good will.
C) Duty motivates the will to be good.
D) We come to know our duty through good will.

Question 7

Why do hypothetical imperatives lack moral content for Kant?

A) They are too numerous to use as the basis for morality.
B) They are only followed in order to achieve an immediate goal.
C) We can never know when they apply.
D) They apply only in limited situations;they cannot be action guiding.

Question 8

Kant's approach to morality is closely tied to his understanding of which of the following philosophical disciplines?

A) ascetology
B) metaphysics
C) epistemology
D) cosmology

Question 9

Which of the following is central to Kant's understanding of morality?

A) looking at actions as following from rules of conduct
B) understanding actions as part of a pattern of lifelong growth
C) the consequences of an action are the right- or wrong-making feature of the action
D) that morality is action in the interest of the strongest

Question 10

How does Kant understand human beings?

A) independent,autonomous,and reticent
B) selfless,community-oriented laborers
C) nasty,brutish,and violent
D) rational,self-governing free agents

Question 11

What is the categorical imperative?

A) a principle for action in certain categories of situations
B) an action-guiding statement that applies in all instances
C) an expression of possible duties of action
D) a desire to act virtuously

Question 12

Imagine that humans come into communication with intelligent life from outside our solar system.What would Kant have to say about their potential moral systems?

A) As rational agents,their morality would conform to ours.
B) As nonhumans,their morality would necessarily be different.
C) Although we would have different moral standards,we could come to understand each other's systems.
D) All life shares the same morality,whether human or nonhuman.

Question 13

How does the good will come to have value?

A) from prior experience
B) from the value that society places on individual action
C) from the results of the actions derived from the will
D) The goodness is intrinsic.

Question 14

How does Kant understand the necessity for rational creatures to follow moral law?

Question 15

What distinguishes the categorical imperative from the golden rule?

A) The golden rule has to do with immediate possibility,while the categorical imperative is tied to eventual possibilities.
B) The golden rule is religiously based,while the categorical imperative is secular.
C) The golden rule has to do with preference,while the categorical imperative is tied to possibility.
D) The categorical imperative is derived from culture,while the golden rule comes from reason.

Question 16

Briefly explain the difference between universalizing maxims for perfect and imperfect duties.

Question 17

What is the difference between perfect and imperfect duties?

A) Perfect duties are those we have mastered over time;imperfect duties are those we are learning.
B) Perfect duties originate from rationality;imperfect ones come from desire.
C) Perfect duties must be fulfilled at all times;imperfect duties must be fulfilled only occasionally.
D) Perfect duties are those we owe to ourselves;imperfect duties we owe to others.