PHIL 1104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Kantian Ethics, Moral Agency, Universalizability
Document Summary
A maxim: the principle from which one is acting. The good moral agent is the one whose maxis conform to the requirements of morality. As a categorical imperative, the moral law applies equally to all rational agents; universalized. Two ways in which the maxim can fail the universalization test. Contradiction in conception: the very idea of everyone acting according to this maxim is contradictory (i. e. false promises) Contradiction in willing: we can imagine everyone acting according to this maxim, but it"s a world no rational agent would want to be in. Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or anyone else"s, never merely as means, but also always as an end. Means: using someone as a way to further your own ends. This is not itself problematic, since you may also see them as an end in themselves.
