PHL 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 29: Immanuel Kant, Precondition, High-Occupancy Vehicle Lane
Document Summary
Immanuel kant (1724-1804): different from utilitarianism; instead of looking at consequences we should focus on intention; they look at the will of the action. If you have a good intention in doing an action, you are not wrong. He looks at intention rather than consequence. The only thing in the world that is unconditionally good is a good will: Duty: when a rational being acts out of respect for the law or principle. An action only has moral value if it is done the motive of duty. An action lacks moral worth if it is done from the motive of inclination. Kid pays for candy bar with a large bill. With an act of will and reluctance, he charges the kid fair price. Same scenario, but proprietor is actually happy with charging the bar fair price. The 1st shopkeeper had inclination, while the second had a moral duty. Moral law: he believes is right and objective.
