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Philosophical Ethics

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Philosophical Ethics

1. Show how Kant arrived at the conclusion that a good will is the highest good.

Kant believes that good will is the highest good, because an advantage can be use for evil means.

Example: Slavery
Europeans, not having good will to guide them, and the pursuit of wealth, used their advantages in education, weapons, and ship building to enslave the people of Africa. A person with intelligence, Witt, and judgment must have goodwill to guide them. Kant also believed that fortune and wealth, if not solidify by good will and can lead to evil intentions. Wealth can lead to a life of arrogance and envy. A person with wealth can use their wealth to purchase the evil services of others.

2. State the Categorical Imperative and recapitulate in a step-by-step fashion how Kant arrived at it as the basis of all moral action.

The Categorical Imperative – according to Kant – is the conviction that one should act so that the Maxim of his or her action can be a universal law.

In a step by step fashion, good will is defined as a will motivated by a sense of duty.
- What is Duty? Duty is defined as reverence or respect for the law.
- What type of law? Moral law;

This can be looked at as the same as the golden rule “do onto others as you would like them to onto you” 3. Why, for Kant, are good and generous deeds not in themselves virtuous?

Kant believes that good and generous deeds are not in themselves virtuous because without goodwill they can be used for evil purpose or intentions.

Example: a man is trying to gain the trust of a woman. By utilizing generous gestures, such as offering gifts or friendly actions, a man’s actions may mislead the woman causing her to let her guards down and consequently he gains her trust. If he doesn’t have goodwill to be motivated by, he can use the trust he gains from that

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