Good but Not Required?—Assessing the Demands of Kantian Ethics

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Timmermann
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Theory ◽  
Kantian Ethics ◽  
Moral Thought ◽  
Moral Goodness ◽  
Ethical System ◽  
Related Idea ◽  
Theoretical Evidence ◽  
Ethical Systems ◽  
Supererogatory Action

AbstractThere seems to be a strong sentiment in pre-philosophical moral thought that actions can be morally valuable without at the same time being morally required. Yet Kant, who takes great pride in developing an ethical system .rmly grounded in common moral thought, makes no provision for any such extraordinary acts of virtue. Rather, he supports a classi.cation of actions as either obligatory, permissible or prohibited, which in the eyes of his critics makes it totally inadequate to the facts of morality. The related idea of uncommonly grand and noble deeds is frequently dismissed by Kant as high-.own emotional nonsense. Such considerations give rise to the fear that actions intuitively classed as morally commendable but not required must be re-classi.ed as commands of duty by Kant, making his ethical theory as unbearably demanding as direct utilitarianism. The paper divides into three sections: (1) an examination of the nature of moral goodness from a meta-ethical angle that introduces some passages from Kant's writings presenting strong theoretical evidence against the case for supererogatory action; (2) a critique of Thomas Hill's suggestion that within the category of wide duty we can accommodate some of the main features of actions classi.ed as supererogatory in other ethical systems; concluding that,contraHill, there are no actions of wide duty that can be so characterized in any signi.cant sense; and (3) a .nal discussion of the problem of how demanding the requirements of Kantian ethical theory really are.

Virtues and Capabilities

2018 ◽  
pp. 586-599
Author(s):  
Steven Torrente ◽  
Harry D. Gould
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Ethical Theory ◽  
Capabilities Approach ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Ethical Thought ◽  
Moral Concepts ◽  
International Political Theory ◽  
Modern Era ◽  
Ethical Systems

After a long dormancy in the modern era, virtue-based ethical thought has once again become a subject of serious consideration and debate in the field of philosophy. The normative orientation of most International Political Theory, however, still comes primarily from principles-based (deontological) or outcome-based (consequentialist) ethical systems. Virtue ethics differs from focus deontological and consequentialist ethics by emphasizing character, context, and way of life, rather than rule-governed action. This chapter reviews the emergence of contemporary virtue ethics as a challenge to overly abstract, language-based analysis of moral concepts, and its development into a broad and nuanced ethical theory. It then connects virtue ethics to the capabilities approach to human development, which is similarly focused.

scholarly journals The paradox of imperfect duty in Kant's moral philosophy: A problem in 'applying' ethics'

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 540-564
Author(s):  
Phillip Richter
Keyword(s):  
Moral Philosophy ◽  
Ethical Theory ◽  
Applied Ethics ◽  
Discourse Ethics ◽  
Kantian Ethics ◽  
Imperfect Duty ◽  
Helping Others ◽  
Metaphysics Of Morals

The Applied Ethics debate has not yet sufficiently clarified what application of ethics exactly is. The issue of application is considered to be especially problematic in Kantian ethics or in discourse ethics. This article describes the concept of applying ethics in Kant. In discussing the duty of helping others and the theory of its application in Metaphysics of Morals it is shown that a strict separation of justification and application in ethical theory results in the paradox of imperfect duty. The paradox says that the duty to help others would be fulfilled without ever being fulfilled in action. To overcome the paradox it is necessary to form submaximes of helping, which are not arbitrarily but instructed by a theory of casuistry. This casuistry, if it is considered as a doctrine of application in Kantian ethics, can overcome the paradox of imperfect duty. However, the casuistry can overcome this paradox only if it is understood as a philosophy of prudence, which can be found in Aristotle or Descartes.

Henryk Elzenberg jako teoretyk etyki

Etyka ◽  
1969 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 91-102
Author(s):  
Tadeusz Czeżowski
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Theory ◽  
Ethical Systems

The article exposes the main theses of the ethical theory of Henryk Elzenberg (1887-1966), an eminent Polish philosopher and ethicist. The author outlines Elzenberg’s conception of ethics, the two types of values he differentiated, namely the „perfective” and the utilitarian, and the two ethical systems, the perfectionistic and the hedonistic, which characterises these two values. Finally, the author discusses the differentiation between goodness and beauty as the two perfective values as proposed by Elzenberg.

scholarly journals TRANSMISI ETIKA KE TATANAN POLITIK PERSPEKTIF MUHAMMAD ABID AL-JABIRI

ALQALAM ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Nunu Burhanuddin
Keyword(s):  
Political Order ◽  
The Political ◽  
Ethical Values ◽  
Moral Issues ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Ethical System ◽  
National Wealth ◽  
Sufi Order ◽  
Ethical Systems ◽  
Of Greece

Several political issues are presumed having a relationship with the ethical values such as the problems of authority and its distribution, the application of laws, human rights, women emancipation, social justice, the distribution of national wealth, economics justice, and etc. These problems show us the importance of ethical reference to polish the political countenance as well as to straighten up the political manoeuvres that are often full of intrigues, arrogance, and tyranny. The transmission concept from ethics to the political order that has ever been stated by Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) in his book “Politea” on political matters, and his “Nicomachean” on moral issues is presumed inspiring the philosophers both in the West and in the East. This article elaborates Muhammad 'Abid Al Jabiri's thought (1936-…), a Muslim thinker from Morocco who classifies ethical values that are transmitted into political order in the Muslim World consisting of four main variants; (1) subservience ethics, an ethical system that is inherited by Persian sultanate; (2) happiness ethics, an ethical system of Greece; (3) transitory ethics, an ethical system developed by Sufi order; and (4) Muru'ah ethics, an ethical system developed in the Arabian World. According to al-Jabiri, these all four systems still left the important matters dealing with the claim of progressive and futuristic -oriented human dynamics. Therefore, al-Jabiri proposed a recommendation for Arabian and Islamic world in order to exceed such ethical systems and to side with the pious deed ethics and profit that became their tendency.

scholarly journals Autonomy, Progress and Virtue: Why Kant has Nothing to Fear from the Overdemandingness Objection

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Timmermann
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Theory ◽  
Kantian Ethics ◽  
Ethical Thought ◽  
Right Action ◽  
Kant's Ethics

AbstractIs Kant’s ethical theory too demanding? Do its commands ask too much of us, either by calling for self-sacrifice on particular occasions, or by pervading our lives to the extent that there is no room for permissible action? In this article, I argue that Kant’s ethics is very demanding, but not excessively so. The notion of ‘latitude’ (the idea that wide duty admits of ‘exceptions’) does not help. But we need to bear in mind (i) that moral laws are self-imposed and cannot be externally enforced; (ii) that ‘right action’ is not a category of Kantian ethics – there is a more and a less, and lack of perfection does not entail vice; and (iii) that only practice makes perfect, i.e. how much virtue can realistically be expected can vary from agent to agent. The principle that ‘ought’ is limited by ‘can’ is firmly entrenched in Kant’s ethical thought.

scholarly journals Reflexivity and the Codification of Legal Ethics. Remarks on the Basis of Paul Ricoeur’s “Little Ethics” Theory

2016 ◽  
pp. 39-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin Pieniążek
Keyword(s):  
Professional Ethics ◽  
Theoretical Basis ◽  
Ethical Theory ◽  
Kantian Ethics ◽  
Legal Ethics ◽  
Legal Professionals ◽  
Professional Self ◽  
Aristotelian Ethics ◽  
The One ◽  
Professional Conflicts

Codes of legal ethics encounter constant waves of criticism. It is pointed out that their disadvantage is, on the one hand, the excessive casuistry, limiting the possibility of taking independent decisions in cases of ethical and professional conflicts, and, on the other hand, the exaggerated declarative character of perfectionist ethical and professional virtues. The gap between the abovementioned perspectives, easily perceived in such codes, results in a dysfunctionality of professional ethics in the actions undertaken by members of the legal profession. The article, apart from the critical-comparative part, includes a proposal of reading and interpreting the content of the codes in a way that transgresses the above opposition. The theoretical basis of the presented position is provided by the concept of “little ethics” formulated by Paul Ricoeur in his work Oneself as Another. The ethical theory developed by Ricoeur combines the elements of Aristotelian ethics of virtues with Kantian ethics of duty. For this reason, it sets a uniform perspective for opposing elements, namely: subordination to the norm of the code and pursuit of ethical and professional self-improvement by legal professionals. The proposed solution belongs to the “reflexive” paradigm of the lawyer’s professional ethics proposed on the basis of Ricoeur’s onto-ethical theory.

scholarly journals Spinozian consequentialism of ethics of social consequences

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 41-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaela Petrufová Joppová
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Ethical System ◽  
Normative Concepts ◽  
Theoretical Evidence

Abstract The present article deals with specific normative concepts of Spinoza’s ethical system and compares them to certain aspects of the theory of ethics of social consequences. At first, a way to approach the problem of normativity in Spinoza is presented, concentrating on the obligatory character of rational - or intellectual - motives. Then, theoretical evidence is presented which links Spinoza to normative-ethical consequentialism. The basis for a consequentialist model of Spinoza’s ethics is the concept of perfection, and on this basis it seems possible to consider its compatibility with non-utilitarian forms of consequentialism, such as ethics of social consequences. Conclusively, the paper’s aim is to present the possibility of considering Spinozian consequentialism as a non-utilitarian consequentialism, while considering ethics of social consequences as a contemporary form of Spinozian consequentialism.

Compassionate Moral Realism

2019 ◽  
pp. 139-192
Author(s):  
Sandra Shapshay
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Moral Realism ◽  
Ethical Theory ◽  
Categorical Imperative ◽  
Moral Worth ◽  
Moral Sense ◽  
Kantian Ethics ◽  
Philippa Foot ◽  
Sole Criterion

This chapter reconstructs Schopenhauer’s ethical theory. As with his metaphysical system as a whole, his ethical theory is in part a rejection but also a development of Kant’s ethical theory. The major departure from Kant—and a serious departure indeed—is the jettisoning of the Categorical Imperative and the imperatival form of morality as a whole, for reasons echoed famously by G. E. M. Anscombe, Philippa Foot, and others in the 20th century. In the place of the CI, Schopenhauer puts the feeling of compassion as the foundation of morality, and as the sole criterion for actions of moral worth. What is really novel in Schopenhauer’s ethics, is his synthesis of elements of moral sense theory and a realist foundation he retains from Kantian ethics, a synthesis this chapter calls “compassionate moral realism.”

Living Individuals

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Ethical Theory ◽  
Anthropogenic Climate Change ◽  
Paul Taylor ◽  
Ethical Systems ◽  
Intuitive Sense

This chapter outlines key ideas associated with ethical biocentrism. It distinguishes between forms of ethical biocentrism in terms of whether they adopt an egalitarian or inegalitarian approach to value; whether they are value monistic or pluralistic; and whether they adopt virtue, consequentialist, or deontological approaches to ethical theory. Drawing in particular on the work of Robin Attfield and Paul Taylor, the chapter then explores how different forms of ethical biocentrism interpret and respond to anthropogenic climate change. Biocentric ethicists have moved beyond many people’s intuitive sense that “life matters” to construct complex, diverse ethical systems that focus on the value of living individuals. These ethical systems must develop still further to respond coherently to growing human environmental impacts.

scholarly journals Constructing a non-foundational theological approach to Christian ethics

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Van Oudtshoorn
Keyword(s):  
General Concept ◽  
Christian Ethics ◽  
Good News ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Ethical System ◽  
Operational Systems ◽  
Ethical Critique ◽  
Ethical Systems ◽  
Broken World

Postmodernism challenges the idea of any foundational truth on which theoretical and operational systems may be built. This has led to a meta-ethical revision of the resuppositions underlying different ethical systems. This article offers a meta-ethical critique of the possibility of constructing a Christian ethical system. It is argued that the general concept of ethics cannot be used as a foundation on which to build any Christian ethical system, as the Christian faith opposes a number of key meta-ethical assumptions for ethics. At the same time Christianity must be careful not to isolate itself from rational ethical debates through succumbing to the temptation of fideism. While the Christian faith may utilise certain ethical categories, and must permit itself to be judged by other ethical systems, it also has to develop its own unique response to reflect the faith, hope and love which the good news of Christ offers to broken sinners in a broken world.

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