Kantianism And Utilitarinism III
Uploaded by Doraemon on Jan 03, 2005
Kantianism And Utilitarinism III.
In Kantianism reason is the sole authority for determining what is ethical and what is ethical must be based on a principle or rule that that must apply to every human being universally, without exception. The rule is based on what Kant calls the Categorical Imperative- they base morality on universal laws or rules and not on individual interests or desires. Universal Law is any personal moral rule that can be applied to all human beings without exception. Kant feels that a person should be praised or blamed for their actions based on the intentions with which they acted. He did not believe that one should consider the morality (rightness or wrongness) of an act on the basis of the act's consequences. Therefore a person's motives are the major factor in determining whether a specific action is moral. The focus is on the act and the intention with which it was done rather than on its consequences.
The basic principle of utilitarianism is that actions are right to the degree that they promote the greatest good for the greatest number. The general idea is to come up with the greatest amount of happiness among the greatest number of people. The consequences of an act is the only way for determining the moral quality of an act, that is the consequences in terms of happiness produced by an act. Every human act has as its goal happiness, which is looked at in terms of producing positive effects for oneself and loved ones. Utilitarianism differs from Kantianism in that they (utilitarians) understood that our individual actions cannot take into account every human being (as Kant's Categorical Imperative suggests) but rather those who are closest to us.
Kant based much on the intentions of the person performing the act where as Utilitarianism looks at the act and judges it according to the amount of positive feeling in the largest number of people. Kant believed that the moral law must be observed and every human is to be treated with respect. Human beings are not to be viewed as a means to an end but as ends in themselves. Utilitarianism also believe that humans are to be treated with respect but that respect must take into account the real, everyday situations in which people live.
An example of Kantianism...