Immanuel Kant Critical Thinkings Samples For Students

Little progress has been made so far in demystifying the controversy of judging the criterion of what is right or wrong. Since the dawn of philosophy, the question of the “summum bonum” or the greatest good concerning morality. The question has resulted in division into sects and schools warning against each other and is recognized as the core problem when thinking speculatively.

According to the Kantian theory, the basis of defining good or bad is based on the will or the intention behind the action. There is nothing impossible to think of in the world or outside it ...

Philosophy

Mill vs. Kant on Ethics and Free Markets

Introduction

Philosophy provides a framework for politics and economics. When approaching the subject of free markets, the viewpoints of Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill were divergent. Their philosophical viewpoints flow out of the ethics of deontology and utilitarianism.

The ethics of utilitarianism is built upon the framework of maximizing benefits to all members of society (Shaw 41). John Stuart Mill, a proponent of utilitarianism, propounded the moral corollary that “society ought not to interfere with people’s liberty when their actions affect only themselves (Shaw 19). Therefore, utilitarianism translates to free market economics ...

Discrimination in the workplace can come in many different forms ranging from sex, race, color, religion, gender reassignment or even sexual orientation .
According to Kant, discrimination in the workplace is argued to be morally wrong and by the appeal to the considerations of justice. According to his argument, for the reason that it treats individuals as the means to whatever social reasons the discrimination is meant to serve and not as ends. This view in Kantians serves for both sexists and racists times of bad old age discrimination and the socially progressive times of “reverse discrimination” which involve ...

Categorical imperative is the key concept to Kant’s deontological moral philosophy. By definition, in critical philosophy, the categorical imperative establishes an unconditional and an absolute necessity that that has no exceptions, and it is universally justified. In addition to the above, categorical imperative is vindicated as an end to itself, and not a means to some supplementary end. Apparently, Kant attaches lots of significances to the idiom “categorical imperative the two words that were formulated to make up the concept have implications.
Based on Kant’s notions, human beings are a special part of the creation, derived from the ...

The topic on the existence of God is perhaps one of the most equivocal topics that have generated an immense debate amongst various population segments all around the globe. In fact, this topic has evolved into one of the most contentious topics all over the globe. Notably, there exists various arguments postulated regarding the existence of God. Nonetheless, the ontological argument devised by Anselm on Gods existence is perhaps one of the most substantive arguments that support that notion on Gods existence. Anselm’s argument on God’s existence asserts that Gods existence is indeed true based on the ...

Philosophy

What is the distinction between hypothetical imperatives and categorical ones, and why is morality associated with categorical imperatives?
Immanuel Kant’s (1724-1804) Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785) is a critical examination of the supreme principle of morality based on a priori (reason) knowledge rather than a posteriori (empirical) truths. He argued that his duty ethics is based on pure reason using a moral rule, which defines ultimate practical moral principles. He then distinguished between hypothetical and categorical ones such that the former is about actions that “represent the practical necessity of a possible action as to something else;” whereas, the latter ...

Introduction

The process of decision making faces ethical dilemmas that require the application of relevant theoretical foundations. The most common theoretical foundations of ethics include utilitarianism, Kant’s categorical imperative, justice as fairness and altruism. Utilitarianism theories require decisions to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people (Johnson, 1952, p.154). Kant based his theory of categorical imperative on the premise that decision makers should focus on right decisions regardless of their costs (Johnson, 1952, p.158). The proponents of the theory of justice as fairness propose that decision makers should guarantee equal rights and opportunities even in the ...

Philosophy

- Literally a gadfly an insect that stings and makes people to be angry. Socially it is someone who challenges people in power and upsets the status quo of the society by speaking the truth. Socrates referred to himself as a gadfly because he was always willing to speak the truth about the society even if he knew that it would hurt the image of those in power. In his defence, the truth had to be spoken and questions that the government and experts tend to over look had to be asked. This is because society is not only for the ...

Diversity involves different people who are of different sexes, ethnicities, religions and races coming to form a community, organization or group. If people, therefore, embrace each other’s differences, it will be possible to achieve a “we” among diversified people. Diversity is achieved if and only if morality comes in handy. It is only then that the idea of free will makes sense. Most people, especially those who are not active in philosophical thinking, tend to believe that they are free to choose from various alternatives when making various day-to-day decisions with the simplest of them- to say yes ...

English

Patients who have been suffering unbearable pain or are terminally ill and have no hope of getting better, have a right to take a stance and end the misery. And to that end, a medical doctor, for the benefit of such a patient, should consider it ethical and their moral duty to assist the patient commit suicide 1. Doctors should have a clear ethical stance on assisted suicide, so that when the circumstances demand, the doctor, beyond a shadow of doubt, can help the distressed and the patient's family take a prompt decision to avoid any unnecessary agony.
A ...

In the Groundwork Kant makes a claim that hypothetical imperatives because of their dependence on contingent and variable desires, wishes, and ends cannot provide universally valid rules of action for all rational beings, and therefore cannot be moral. Therefore, moral imperatives must be categorical rather than hypothetical. In other words, they must be unconditionally valid rules of action for all rational beings. Moral principles must therefore be formal and be able to serve as universal laws. In a nutshell, according to Kant (i) the moral principles must be categorical imperatives (ii) the concept of a categorical imperative is an idea of an unconditional ...

This theory was Immanuel Kant’s first contribution in philosophy. Kant made a great significance in his debut since he disagreed with theories generated by renowned philosophers like Aristotle. This theory was a unique theory that explained a new method of analyzing morals and responsibilities. Kant’s theory works from down the common sense then up to the laws that govern our deeds (Alison, 67). The theory tends to claim that acting right does not require rewards as it is everyone’s duty to do what’s right or what or what is required by law.

Kant’s theory is different from ...

Question one

A maxim that, in order to maximize my pleasure, I will take recreational drugs whenever I feel like is self-defeating. It cannot be applied as a universal law to all humans as rational beings. It will be a failure to cultivate talents in exchange for a life full of pleasure and leisure. This is also a compromise of human capacity for self insight, self development and personal growth. This is because it is just a quick fix to challenge individuals are facing in their lives.
Additionally, Kant provided arguments against taking of recreational drugs because he termed them as exclusive substitutes for self ...

Among different theories that were implemented in XIX-XXs century the concept of utilitarianism and deontology are still the matter to discuss. Although firstly the suppositions of utilitarianism appear in the writings of the British moralists of XVI-XVII centuries, the modern theory of the concept is most often associated with the British philosopher John Stuart Mill (1806- 1873) who elaborated the theory from a hedonistic version proposed by his mentor Jeremy Bentham (1748- 1832) who thought a person should experience a lot of pleasure and avoid suffering. As most clearly stated by Mill, the basic principle of utilitarianism is that ...

Death Penalty

Before Moses climbed Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, justice existed. Before 2500 BC when the first ruler of the Babylonian Empire Hammurabi gave his people the first written law, justice existed. Fairness and justice are an inherent human quality. Therefore, swift and fair justice must always exist.
Punishment is the cornerstone of justice in society. A crime should fit the punishment in an ideal society. The death penalty has existed for thousands of years. In the 21st century, emphasis was laid more on the question of humanity. Amnesty International believes "the death penalty is the ultimate ...

Justice is something which underlies our own society – without it, indeed, some people posit that there can be no such thing as society. While many people state that justice is the same thing as the law, with Plato being the most visible proponent of this theory, others, such as Socrates, hold the two to be very different things. As we shall see below, while Socrates and Plato disagree on whether or not justice and law are the same, they both agree when it comes to addressing the role that justice takes in internal adherence to the values of the ...

Mid Term Exam

Discuss the impact of the theories of Immanuel Kant, Charles Darwin and Jean-Paul Sartre on modernity.

Jean-Paul Sartre was flourished in Existentialism. He believed that a man acts in his free will in the society and time in which he lives. This philosophy inspired others to acknowledge their own free thinking and live the life they believed in. It broke the cookie cutter of what people were otherwise programmed to be and motivated others to break free in essence of their true self. It’s the true quest to fine a purpose in life. Because Jean Paul Sartre wrote and published many of his writings on Existentialism, his readers began to think ...

Discuss this statement in relation to two areas of knowledge.

Philosophy
Philosophical assumptions relating the theory of knowledge aspire towards an understanding of and differentiating among belief, truth and justification. Over the ages since Immanuel Khant’s propositions regarding enlightenment philosophers are still struggling to define and conceptualize the term in relation to knowledge acquisition, revision and validation. As such, in perceiving that ‘knowledge is nothing more than the systematic organization of facts’ it would become necessary to define knowledge and facts. Subsequently, a detailed differentiation between the two will be embraced and thereafter conclusions derived from the exposition in relation to two are of knowledge namely religion and ...

Intuition and judgement: A critical analysis

Intuition plays a role, big or small, in many of the decisions made by humans in their day to day life. Intuition is on the subconscious end of reasoning and is thus inexplicable in normal logical terms many a times. The very definition of the term ‘intuition’ says that it is the “knowledge acquired from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning”. This is why intuition is regarded an activity of the right side of the brain and is said to play a good part in developing aesthetic nature in man. It is thus, easy to see, how intuition plays a role in many ...

1. In your own words, provide a concise formulation of Utilitarianism. In particular, explain the reasons Bentham and Mill give in support of it. In your own words, provide a concise formulation of Kant’s deontological ethics. In particular, explain the role of the Categorical Imperative in Kantian ethics. In light of the criticisms offered of both accounts, which account is more plausible? Explain why. (70 marks.)
Within Utilitarianism it is believed that there is a moral obligation to attain the best world possible. In order to do so, it is necessary to ensure that harm, or what would ...

Europe’s history, especially in the colonial and imperial periods created new connections and networks between parts of the world. European expansion starting the in the sixteenth century led to its expansion into the Americas and the concurrent creation of the slave trade of entirely new populations in the imperial periphery. Additionally, in the nineteenth century with the so-called “Scramble for Africa” meant that Europe had new colonies on the continent itself. With the process of decolonization this meant that these populations both from the Americas especially the Caribbean could migrate into the European metropole. This created an African ...

Part 1

Ethic in business is a crucial thing. In these paper Halliburton company is said to have been involved in corruption scandals shall be evaluated. At the same time the Wal-Mart company that has been exploiting people shall be evaluated from different perspectives as outlined.

Utilitarianism takes two dimensions, the act utilitarianism and the rule utilitarianism. The act utilitarianism has it that consequences of a single act be measured depending on how right or wrong the course of action was. The basic rule in this case is exercising the probable benefit. In this case the point of reference in every action that ...

Philosophy

According to Aristotle, human virtue appears in two forms including moral virtue based on experience and time, and moral virtue results from habits. In the book Nicomachean Ethics, he asserts that happiness is the greatest good and the end goal among humans. He considers supreme good as an activity of rational mind which is equivalent to excellence in Greece. A virtuous individual performs distinctive activities of being human well, and rationality is the distinctive activity that differentiate humans from other animals and plants. Humans are different and above all because they have a rational soul governing their thoughts. Aristotle considers ...

Introduction

Question 1
Utilitarianism can be easily understood as a situation whereby there is a need to maximize happiness while reducing suffering. In this case we are introduced to a neurosurgeon that is performing some experiments in his lab. Homeless men are brought to his lab by kidnappers. The main aim of this action is to find a procedure for fixing spinal damage. He wants to perfect in his field of surgery by trying to fix the spinal codes of the homeless men. These homeless men cannot defend themselves since they are not in the position to do so since they have been ...

Introduction

Karen Warren coined the term “Ecofeminism” in explaining the logic of domination where the notion of people’s control over nature as a whole is wrong and for the same reason that the subordination of women to the will of men is also wrong. According to argument, feminists should object to the idea domination because subordination of women and domination over nature both represents the logic of domination. On the other hand, the asserted claim of twin domination encompasses several issues. In this discussion, Warren’s logic of domination and the concept of ecofeminism will be examined by explaining ...

INTRODUCTION

Every society develops, struggles to find and seeks solutions that will be best for society. What are the best laws, political style and what should be considered right and wrong and good or bad. Science says that for every action there is a reaction. Essentially, this means that there are consequences for all actions and choices, which calls for great consideration in regards to those acts being right or wrong, good or evil and or even worthwhile. Unfortunately, there is no universally accepted means by which attain these social goals that need to be achieved. One area of ethical ...

Deontology and consequentialism are dominant theories that are related to the contemporary normative ethics. Consequentialism is a theory in which all the actions that can be termed as right yield desired outcomes (Betzler 13). On the other hand, deontology, which is a theory that was developed by Kant, identifies rightness through the features of acts as opposed to the outcomes. For instance, in case consequentialism needs to sacrifice an innocent person for the greater benefit, deontology can end up forbidding this move on the basis that it violates the rights of innocent persons, or rather lead to the violation of various ...

English: Critical Thinking

The first reproach is an invitation to the people to dwell in quietism of despair as if all solutions to a problems are barred, all actions in this world would be declared ineffective. This is a lead to the contemplative philosophy and as the contemplative philosophy is a luxury, this is another bourgeois philosophy and the reproach made by the communist. Another reproach that is ignominious in the human situation for neglecting things that possess charm and beauty and belongs to the brighter side of human nature. A man is considered in isolation in both the reproaches and the reason as per ...

Fashion Business Ethics and sustainability

The substance of CSR
Corporate social responsibility entails a set of principles and initiatives undertaken by a company to respond to the effects of its business on the environment, the social welfare of the people, and the community at large. Every business organization has a set of initiatives that allow the organization to respond to the effects of its business on the people. Such initiatives could be on matters education, environmental conservation, provision of relief services, or providing health services to the community. CSR is also known as corporate citizenship and the initiatives contained therein depend on the size and nature ...

Introduction: Social Control

Social control entails generally to both the political and societal mechanisms/ processes present, which aid in the regulation of group and individual behavior. This is often in an attempt at gaining both compliance and conformity to the prevailing rules, norms and regulations set, in a given jurisprudence, social grouping or society. In the field of sociology, this is categorized into two core avenues: informal and formal means of social control. The former, pertains to the internalization of various values and norms, through various forms of socio-cultural and religious interactions. The latter, entails the presence of external sanctions, enforceable through policies, ...

If Fred were a Utilitarian

Utilitarianism is based on consequentialism. It is a doctrine where the ends justify the means. This implies that if one really needs to reach a certain goal but the process to attainment of that goal is wrong ethically, morally or otherwise, the individual would still go through with the process so long as their goal it attained at the end. This is a system which values the outcome more than the process. Fred is in a position where he has previously experienced the challenges that come with being unemployed. Moreover, unemployment would mean that his wife would have to labor in two jobs. ...

Law

The death penalty is a fair punishment
Rough Draft Revision 1
Death penalty should not be abolished since it has been proven to effectively deter crimes. Although the anti-death penalty groups believe that death is a grave punishment because the calculated killing of a human being by the State is considered as a denial of the executed person’s humanity and the right to life (Mandery 167). Some lawmakers believe that death penalty is cruel and degrading which is in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. However, several crimes have been committed nowadays without due regard to respect for human ...