Kant

1
Kant

• Good Will
• Morally praiseworthy actions are done from a
  sense of duty.
• Our duty is to follow the right moral rules.

2
Imperatives

• Moral rules contrast with the rules of prudence.
• You ought to keep your promises.
• If you want a safe car, buy a Volvo.
• Moral rules are categorical imperatives.
• They are not dependent on any particular desire.
• Prudential rules are hypothetical imperatives.
• They are binding only on those with the
  appropriate desire.

3
Two Versions of the Categorical Imperative

• Follow moral rules that are universalizable.
• This means you should only accept a moral rule
  that a rational person would accept as binding
  for all persons.
• Always treat persons as ends and never merely as
  means.
• This means that we should recognize that each
  person has the same basic moral worth as we do.

4
Universalizability and Respect for Persons

• Moral principles are universalizable.
• The only condition under which this can be true
  is if something is intrinsically valuable and
  hence an end we all share.
• The only thing which is intrinsically good is
  humanity either in myself or in others.
• So the end of morality is to respect humanity in
  myself and other persons.

5
Decision procedure

• Describe morally relevant features of case.
• Look for principles.
• Evaluate principles by using one or both versions
  of the categorical imperative.
• Apply principle.
• Describe actions which conform to principle.
• Assign praise or blame by looking at intentions.

6
Alternative Decision Procedure

• Apply the second version directly.
• Ask what action would be consistent with treating
  persons as morally valuable and not as mere means
  to achieve some particular goal.

7
Moral Rights

• differ from legal rights
• are claims that society should enforce
• imply duties
• cannot be waived
• cannot be overridden
• apply universally

8
Moral Rights and Legal Rights

• We have legal rights solely on the basis of what
  is granted by our legal/political institutions.
• We have moral rights in virtue of characteristics
  we share as humans.

9
Moral rights and enforcement

• If someone has a moral right, then the rest of us
  are obligated to enforce that right.

10
Moral Rights and Duties

• Negative Rights View
• If P has a right to X, then everyone else is
  required to refrain from interfering with Ps
  having X.
• Positive Rights View
• If P has a right to X, then everyone else is
  required to refrain from interfering AND should
  cooperate, when necessary, in Ps having or doing
  X.

11
Moral Rights cannot be waived

• If someone has a right to something, they can not
  give up this right.

12
Moral rights cannot be overridden

• If someone has a right to something, the right
  claim is the most important consideration.

13
Moral rights are universal

• If someone has a moral right, then everyone else
  has the same right.

14
Who has rights?

• All humans
• All rational creatures
• All creatures who possess the relevant
  properties.
• Some properties which have been suggested
• rationality
• moral agency
• moral emotion
• human biology

15
Decision Procedure

• What possible rights are involved?
• Are these really rights?
• Should society enforce this claim for everyone?
• Do we have duties with respect to X?
• Can P give up the claim to X?
• Would it be OK to ignore X if it conflicted with
  some other consideration?

16
Decision Procedure

• Are the rights being violated?
• What would respecting these rights require?
• If rights are coming into conflict, how can we
  balance them?