PHILOS 2YY3 Lecture Notes - Hypothetical Imperative, Categorical Imperative
10 Nov 2012
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Dignity of persons: reasons to determine our actions we have the faculty of choice, unlike animals. October 18 who are purely instinctual: we are autonomous. We set ends and act on maxims of our own choosing we have the power to set ends and make maxims, and choose to use means to achieve our ends. We cannot be compelled to our ends, we must choose them freely: these features of human beings, our humanity, grounds our dignity (an example of which is our incomparable and unconditional moral worth) People have dignity, not price; things have price, kant believes we cannot. Laws/imperatives: put prices on people: persons: we act according to our conception of laws we have wills, autonomies, hypothetical imperative: represents necessity of an action as a means for attaining something one wants. A conditional command - juxtaposed with the strictness of morality: categorical imperative: represents an action as objectively necessary and good in itself without reference to another end.
