...How do you reconcile a request from an African American inmate to allow a transfer out of a section which is primarily White Supremacist? Justify your response, in terms of both utilitarianism and Kant’s theories. I learned while conducting research on the above topic that Kantian ethics is considered to be "deontological" in sense that it holds an action is "right" in and of itself without appeal to consequences. Kant explains that a faculty of the human mind called "practical reason" makes demands on us. Reasons of practicality demand that one act out of respect for the moral law. For example, lying is wrong simply because "practical reason" tells us that it is wrong without any appeal to consequences. Therefor, Kant's moral theory is could be summed up by using the term "categorical imperative" in that it makes demands that do not depend on context or consequences. However, utilitarianism bases its understanding of the right action on consequences. Simply put, an act is considered "good" if it creates the most happiness and the least pain, for the largest number of people affected by that action. In this context, utilitarianism could be...
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...Introduction The purpose of this case assignment centers on the examination of the how the Adelphia Communications’ executives violated the trust of the company’s shareholders and the trust of the community through the analytical view of deontological ethics. This analysis will be achieved by defining deontological ethics and Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative. A review of the Adelphia Communications Scandal will be conducted with a general assessment of what ethical issues were present based on deontological ethics and Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative. The Adelphia Communications Scandal The Adelphia Communications Corporation was the sixth largest provider of cable services in the United States prior to filing bankruptcy in 2002 due to a major accounting scandal. Adelphia’s management intentionally misled investors by falsifying financial statements to give the appearance the organization was financially solid and performing well above normal, by excluding billions of dollars of debt from financial statements. The auditors fail to find any fraudulent action in the financial statements. John Rigas was the original founder of the corporation and later joined with his brother and sons. The Adelphia Communications Corporation (investors) provided over $2.3 billion worth of personal loans to the Rigas family. The Rigas family received assets via fund transfers from the Adelphia Communications Corporation through journal entries to purchase...
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...Immanuel Kant was generally regarded as the last major philosopher of the early modern period and one of history's most influential thinkers. His ethical theories were presented in two works. The Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785) was Kant's "search for and establishment of the supreme principle of morality." In The Critique of Practical Reason (1787) Kant attempted to unify his account of practical reason with his work in theCritique of Pure Reason. Kant was the major proponent in history of what is called deontological ethics. Deontology is the study of duty. On Kant's view, the sole feature that gives an action moral worth is not the outcome that is achieved by the action, but the motive that is behind the action. The Categorical Imperative was the name of Kant’s moral law and the famous statement of this duty: "Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." (McCormick, 2006). Kant’s notion on moral judgment i.e. the ability to personally determine the motive behind and outcome of one’s action, made freedom play a significant role in much of his ethical theories. According to Kant what makes human beings different from inanimate things and other lower level living beings is that people have dignity based on their ability to choose freely what they will do with their lives, and they have a fundamental moral right to respect other people’s choices as well. It is a violation of human dignity...
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...Immanuel Kant remains one of the most influential modern philosophers in the realm of western philosophy. As a philosopher, Kant’s teachings stretched into the fields of, yet not inclusive to, ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. However, it was Kant’s view of ethics that perhaps was paramount; it is as well important to delve further and pinpoint reason and good will as the source of morality in his ethical teachings. It is utterly inconceivable to simplify Kant’s works and theologies into less than 2,000 words; however, I will try. Kant’s philosophical teachings branched into many different disciplines – challenging common notions and making significant impacts as he taught them. However, it is his ethical theory that has been the most...
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...“The Final Form of Kant’s Practical Philosophy,” Mark Timmons (ed.) Essays on Kant’s Moral Philosophy (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000). The Final Form of Kant’s Practical Philosophy Allen Wood Yale University By the year 1768, Kant claimed to be at work on a system of ethics, under the title “metaphysics of morals” (Ak 10:74).[1] During the so-called ‘silent decade’ of the 1770s, when Kant was working on the Critique of Pure Reason, he promised repeatedly not only that he would soon finish that work but also that he would soon publish a “metaphysics of morals” (Ak 10:97, 132, 144).[2] Yet it was not until four years after the first Critique that Kant finally wrote a work on ethics, and even then he merely laid the ground for a metaphysics of morals by identifying and establishing the supreme principle on which a system of duties would be based (G 4:392). Three years later, in the Critique of Practical Reason Kant once again dealt entirely with foundational questions in moral philosophy. Kantian ethics is primarily known, especially among English-speaking philosophers, through these two ethical works of the 1780s, neither of which contains anything like a ‘metaphysics of morals’. Many of Kant’s chief works in the early 1790s are devoted to practical philosophy. The Critique of Judgment’s treatment of taste and teleology is concerned both with moral psychology and with the view of the world which a morally disposed person should take. Other works even...
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...is certain that at birth babies do not have this ability, so perhaps cannot be considered to be people until a certain age of birth, however extreme this perspective may be. It is almost undeniable that a foetus is not a person. Even religious followers would struggle to argue against this, and in addition babies display few traits of personhood, even up to birth. A sensible time to assume that a foetus becomes a person would be at birth, though even at this stage they may not display the traits of personhood, so by some would still not be considered people. A foetus is categorically not a person. Explain how a belief in the Sanctity of Life may influence ethical approaches to abortion. The sanctity of life theory is the idea that all humans are created in the image of God and because of this only God has the right to give or take life....
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...deontological theory of ethics. To what extent if any do the weaknesses outweigh the strengths of this theory? Deontology literally translates as the science of duty. It is an approach to making decisions in ethics which relies on duties or rules to determine how you should act. Thus it is very different from consequential theories of ethics like Utilitarianism where results matter more than obligations (oughts). One of the most notable examples of a deontological theory of ethics is Kantian Ethics. Kant rejected using results as a good way to guide actions. A notable feature is that, unlike Utilitarianism, he thought empirical evidence was an unreliable guide and that how we experience things came from the mind (a priori). ‘It is impossible to conceive of anything in the world, or even out of it, which can be taken as good without qualification, except good will’. A notable point is that, Kant took an absolute approach to morality and dismissed the idea of choices or consequences to solve a moral dilemma. A significant feature is that, Kant thought that the idea of moral oughts must come from within which he called ‘reason’. Since Kant believed reason is shared by all humans and is inherent in the universe, then logically we should come to the same conclusions about how to live using their reason. Additionally, with our reason, Kant identified that there were ‘prima facia’ duties- duties that are supreme to others. Another key characteristic is that, Kant’s deontology states...
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...LS312 Unit Eight Cost Justified Minicase Tapestry Dalrymple February 5, 2013 The stakeholders in the Cost Justified Minicase are Joe the District Manager of Computer Operations, Mary, Joe’s supervisor, the CEO, the employees, the shareholder, and the company. The interests of the stakeholders are avoiding scandals, following legislation by knowing the security laws, understanding public interests, and displaying accountability. Every stakeholder has the rights and responsibility to promote honesty and integrity from management. This case applies to the Securities Acts and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Joe and Mary participated in illegal and unethical actions. Both knew there was a performance problem but reported a misrepresentation of the recently installed system that was actually not achieving the expected results. Mary requested a report to be written by Joe that the system was performing as projected even though it was not and send a copy to the CEO. It was also a request for Joe to send in a report that the savings portrayed in the original justification documents are being achieved. Joe worked hard to achieve his goals in the company and was worried about Mary’s request and the statement she made to him about having doubts about his ability to perform as a District Manager for the company because of his reluctance to her request. This misrepresentations affect the company financially and the shareholders...
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...emphasizes the necessity of grounding morality in a priori principles. Hume says that reason is properly a “slave to the passions,” while Kant bases morality in his conception of a reason that is practical in itself. Hume identifies such feelings as benevolence and generosity as proper moral motivations; Kant sees the motive of duty—a motive that Hume usually views as a second best or fall back motive—as uniquely expressing an agent's commitment to morality and thus as conveying a special moral worth to actions. Although there are many points at which Kant's and Hume's ethics stand in opposition to each other, there are also important connections between the two. Kant shared some important assumptions about morality and motivation with Hume, and had, early in his career, been attracted to and influenced by the sentimentalism of Hume and other British moralists. The aim of this essay is not to compare Hume and Kant on all matters ethical. Instead, we examine...
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...QUEEN OF APOSTLES PHILOSOPHY CENTRE JINJA (PCJ) CRITIQUE OF THE NOTION OF AUTONOMY IN KANT’S MORAL PHILOSOPHY AN UNDER GRADUATE DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE INSTITUTE OF ETHICS AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES OF UGANDA MARTYRS UNIVERSITY (UMU) NKOZI, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN PHILOSOPHY BISIMWA MUNYALI EVARISTE MARCH 2011 1 DEDICACE This work is dedicated in a special way to: My ever loving and caring God, My family and the community of the Missionaries of Africa. 2 DECLARATION I………………………………………………………..have read the rules of Uganda Martyrs University on plagiarism and hereby state that this work is my own. It has not been submitted anywhere else for any qualification. I have acknowledged the secondary sources used in this work. NAME OF STUDENT…………………………………………………………. SIGNATURE…………………………………………………………………… DATE: …………………………………………………………………………… SUPERVISOR………………………………………………………………….. SIGNATURE…………………………………………………………………… DATE: ………………………………………………………………………….. 3 ABSTRACT The importance of a philosophical study dealing with moral issues, especially the principle of autonomy is indisputably great. It is a common agreement that morality is located within the scope of duty. Kant corroborates this held agreement by stating the categorical imperative which every human is obliged to act upon. He conceived this categorical imperative as the moral law which all those who claim to be moral beings have to live on. However, he also affirmed...
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...AS Philosophy & Ethics Course Handbook 2013 to 2014 [pic] OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/type/gce/hss/rs/index.aspx OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) You are studying Philosophy of Religion and Religious Ethics and will be awarded an OCR AS Level in Religious Studies. The modules and their weightings are: |AS: |Unit Code |Unit Title |% of AS |(% of A Level) | | |G571 |AS Philosophy of Religion |50% |(25%) | | |G572 |AS Religious Ethics |50% |(25%) | If you decide to study for the full A Level you will have to study the following modules at A2: |A2: |Unit Code |Unit Title |(% of A Level) | | |G581 |A2 Philosophy of Religion |(25%) | | |G582 |A2 Religious Ethics |(25%) | Grading | ...
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...In both Immanuel Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals and John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism, the authors give several strong, well structured arguments on the composition of ethics. Largely, their works help to draw focus to two different explanations of what makes an action morally just as opposed to morally unjust through essentially opposite viewpoints. Despite a key difference between their philosophies, Kant and Mill contribute to an overall picture of the historical ethical argument. Chronologically, the first major philosopher, Immanuel Kant, presents an argument that is based upon solely “a priori” knowledge, or rather knowledge that does not come from experience. Kant explains that because we are all rational beings, we are able to separate ourselves from our current human condition and use our own ability to reason to see a broad picture of what is morally acceptable to others. Similarly, Kant finds that the only thing which is good without limitation is a good will; that is, it is the intention of an action that determines the moral validity of any claim, not the effects both foreseen and actual. Kant connects this idea of morality to the claim that humans should act out of duty instead of just what is according to duty. The difference between these two ideas, Kant argues, is that “according to duty” is acting in the right way only because of the negative consequences associated with not performing a morally correct action whereas “from duty” refers to the...
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...Ethical Theories In today’s society, especially in business the question of what is ethical is a dilemma that a great deal of individuals is faced with every day. Ethics vary from person to person and culture to culture. What is unethical in the United States of America may be completely ethical in China. Dictionary.com defines ethics as the moral principles that govern a person’s or a group’s behavior. There are many different theories of ethics, and which one a person chooses to live by, depends on which theorist the individual believes to be more in line with their own personal moral beliefs. When business ethics is discussed it is hard to speak about it without mentioning the name of Milton Friedman. Milton Friedman was an economist that theorized business ethics as monetarism. He is essentially responsible for promoting the economic growth of a company and the benefits to their shareholders. The primary goal and motivating force in business is to make a profit, and try to maintain efficiency while making a profit. Friedman’s theory is in correlation with the philosophy of corporate law. In corporate law the shareholders own the company, and they vote on the Board of Directors. The greatest duty is owed to the shareholders as owners of the business. Typically the Board of Directors makes the important decisions because they ensure the company is running efficiency while making a profit at the same time. Making a profit is the primary reason any company is in business...
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...In 2013, the movie, The Wolf of Wall Street portrayed the dishonest dealings of people involved in securities exchange and trades of foreign and public companies. The actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, had an sensational thirst for wealth and learned of greed from his superior. This movie portrays the idea that greed, an unethical behavior, is an acceptable behavior that business individuals must cultivate to increase their wealth. So what is ethics? According to Spiceland, Sepe, and Tomassini (2007), ethics is “a code or moral system that provides a criteria for evaluating what is right and wrong” (Spiceland, Sepe, and Tomassni, 2007). Deontological theories base morality on certain duties or obligations and claim that certain actions are right or wrong regardless of the consequences that may follow from the actions. Deontology is a moral theory that depends on scriptures that are governed by rules, moral laws, and intuition. The word deontology is derived from the Greek term “deon” and “logos” which means the “study of duty” (Moreland, 2009). Moreland (2009) describes three features of deontology. The first is that “duty should be done for duty's sake” (Moreland, 2009). Moreland's (2009) second feature is for individuals to treat each other as “objects of intrinsic moral value” (Moreland, 2009). Individuals with this point of view believe that “some actions cannot be justified by their consequences” meaning that the end does not justify the...
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... Being most impressed with his ability to arduously deduce complex theories of ethical behaviors into what I consider to be the most rationally plausible conceptions on the issues morality to date, I confidently agree with most of Kant’s views on such issues as morality, goodwill, and duty, while especially agreeing with his philosophical thoughts regarding utilitarianism. But there is one major opinion for which he believes that I strongly disagree with… and this would be his theory which suggests that all human beings are limited in their perceptive scope of knowledge by the empirical realm of space and time. Kant totally discredits any possible notion of knowledge being attained through metaphysical processes or means other than those within the constraints of the physical world in which we live. Kant explains that “a priori analysis of our ideas could inform us about the content of our ideas, but it could not give a coherent demonstration of metaphysical truths about the external world, the self, the soul, God, and so on.” Though Kant is reasonably true with this observation, it cannot be ultimately concluded to fact that contributions of knowledge are in no way gained from sources external to constraints of our realm of understanding. The big problem here is that Kant offers no valid proof that can sternly back his theory. And, how can we surely justify Kant’s take on this matter if we don’t even know what lies beyond in the distance of the far reaches...
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