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Immanuel Kant and the Ethics of Duty

Immanuel Kant and the Ethics of Duty. Overview: The Ethics of Respect. One of Kant’s most lasting contributions to moral philosophy was his emphasis on the notion of respect ( Achtung ). Introduction. Respect has become a fundamental moral concept in contemporary America Rodney Dangerfield

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Immanuel Kant and the Ethics of Duty

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  1. Immanuel Kantand the Ethics of Duty

  2. Overview: The Ethics of Respect One of Kant’s most lasting contributions to moral philosophy was his emphasis on the notion of respect (Achtung)

  3. Introduction • Respect has become a fundamental moral concept in contemporary America • Rodney Dangerfield • “Don’t dis’ me.” • There are rituals of respect in almost all cultures. • Two central questions: • What is respect? • Who or what is the proper object of respect?

  4. Kant on Respect • “Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end.”

  5. Kant on Respecting Persons • Kant brought the notion of respect (Achtung) to the center of moral philosophy for the first time. • To respect people is to treat them as ends in themselves. He sees people as autonomous, i.e., as giving the moral law to themselves. • The opposite of respecting people is treating them as mere means to an end.

  6. Using People as Mere Means • The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments • More than four hundred African American men infected with syphilis went untreated for four decades in a project the government called the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male. • Continued until 1972

  7. Treating People as Ends in Themselves What are the characteristics of treating people as ends in themselves? • Not denying them relevant information • Allowing them freedom of choice

  8. Additional Cases • Plant Closing • Firing Long-Time Employees • Medical Experimentation on Prisoners • Medical Donations by Prisoners • Medical Consent Forms

  9. What Is the Proper Object of Respect? • For Kant, the proper object of respect is the will. Hence, respecting a person involves issues related to the will--knowledge and freedom. • Other possible objects of respect: • Feelings and emotions • The dead • Animals • The natural world

  10. Self-Respect Is lack of proper self-respect a moral failing? • The Deferential Wife • See article by Tom Hill, “Servility and Self-Respect” • Servants • See movie of Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day • Stevens the servant: "I don't believe a man can consider himself fully content until he has done all he can to be of service to his employer." • Aristotle and Self-Love • What is the difference between self-respect and self-love? Clearly, there is at least a difference in the affective element.

  11. Respect in the Classroom • What does it mean to respect students? • Are there any common classroom practices that you see as disrespectful of students? • What does it mean to respect teachers? • Are there any common school practices that you find are disrespectful to teachers?

  12. Conclusion • Respect for other people (including not using other people as a means) remains a key concept in contemporary moral philosophy.

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