Abstract
This episode is part one of three of the lecture series [HTA 10] on Immanuel Kant’s Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals [1785].
Primary Source
Kant, Immanuel. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals: with On a Supposed Right to Lie Because of Philanthropic Concerns. Translated by James W. Ellington. Third Ed. Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1993 [1785].
Guiding Questions
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What is a good will?
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Instead of happiness, what is the purpose of reason?
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What is duty?
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What is respect?
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There are five formulations of the categorical imperative; these five are different ways of saying the same principle that cannot be put directly into words in only one way. What are the two forms of the categorical imperative related to universal law and end-in-itself? Explain what these two formulations in particular emphasize and signify. Also explain how they are derived from other aspects of the argument, a priori.
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What is the difference between a priori and a posteriori? Why is this significant to the definition of a good will as well as to the transition from respect (respect for what?) to respect for universal law as such, i.e., universalizability of all my actions?
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What is the difference between means and ends?