Immanuel Kant`s Moral Theory

includes index and biblioraphy

1 Introduction Immanuel Kant`s life 1 Kant`s audiences 3 Kant`s respect for ordinary moral thinking 4 Kant`s debt to Pietism 6 Kant and the Enlightenment 7 2 The context for Kant`s moral philosophy 11 Kant`s response to skepticism 12 A priori and a posteriori knowledge claims 14 Can there be synthetic a priori judgments? 15 Ideas of reason 17 Questions of methodology 19 Part I: The nature of morality 3 The nature of human action 23 The exercise of causal power 24 Always goal directed 24 The presence of desires 26 Practical rules 28 The task ahead 29 Prudence: taking care of our own interests 31 Desires, inclinations, and self-interest 31 Prudential reasoning 32 Technical imperatives 34 Prudential imperatives 35 The amorality of prudence 37 Past errors 39 What can be learned 41 Morality: living autonomously 44 Freedom 44 Autonomy 46 Moral rules 47 The Categorical Imperative 49 Obligatory, forbidden, or permissible 50 Narrow and wide duties Moral judgment Erroneous moral judgments The infallibility of conscience Morally obligatory ends Objective ends Right actions A "good will" Kinds of practical goods A system of obligatory ends Conflicts between moral rules The defense of morality How is morality possible? Why this is a problem Kant`s first argument: Part I Kant`s first argument: Part II Kant`s second argument Relating the two viewpoints Metaphysical questions The primacy of morality A brief history The grounds for primacy The limitations of theoretical reasoning Superior cognitive power Superior conative power What primacy means Unity under a common principle Another quest Part II: The moral norm for persons Moral character: Part I Merely pathological desires Conflicts between reason and desire Duty Virtue Mixed motivation The "radical evil" in human nature The nature of moral character Kinds of moral character Moral character: Part II Moral interest Moral sentiments Respect for the moral law CONTENTS The range of moral emotions 135 The spirit of virtue 136 Moral fanaticism 137 Morally indifferent and permissible actions 138 Holiness an obligatory end 139 The postulate of immortality 141 The postulates of God and of grace 142 Metaphysical questions 144 Part III: The norm for moral judgment The Categorical Imperative 149 Ease of use 150 The problem 151 The principle of noncontradiction 151 The derivation 153 Problematic texts 157 Empirical content 159 Problems with maxims 160 The necessary and sufficient norm 163 Not a prudential norm 163 The Formula of Autonomy or of Universal Law: Part I 165 Self-constraint 165 Practical lawfulness 166 Testing the maxim of a lying promise 167 Kant`s doctrine concerning lies 170 Kant`s infamous reply to Constant 173 Consistency with other maxims 178 The Formula of Autonomy or of Universal Law: Part II 180 The principle of physicoteleology 181 Kant`s transformation of the tradition 182 Obligatory natural ends 184 Kant`s examples 186 Another example 188 Problems with such ends 190 Culture and morality 191 The Formula of Respect for the Dignity of Persons 193 Persons and things 195 Respect for persons 198 Self-respect 200 Our own happiness 202 Respect for others 203 Problems 209