PHILOS 2YY3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Hypothetical Imperative, Categorical Imperative, Universalizability
25 Sep 2016
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The relationship between the will, reasons, and maxims. Very briefly, for kant, we are all rational beings, who possess a will and are thus capable of acting in accordance with various laws, principles, or maxims. What makes us special compared to non-human animals - so kant claims - is that we need not act in accordance with mere impulses or inclinations. The fact that we are rational and possess a will provides us with a power to act, independent of the dictates of nature, or inclination or circumstance. Very generally, it is a principle upon which we act. It is an abstract description of the action one intends to perform; a rule or principle for action. It provides both what we might call the explanatory and justificatory rationale for why we act. Maxim - a general principle which specifies (1) how i conceive of an action (2) my reason for doing it.
