How much importance do you think duty ought to have in relation to morality? Exp

Question

How much importance do you think duty ought to have in relation to morality? Explain your answer.

According to Kantian ethics, it would be wrong to lie to a murderer who is asking for the location of his potential victim. Do you agree that in this particular kind of situation one must tell the truth regardless of the consequences? Why or Why not?

"Always treat humanity, whether in your own person or that of another, never simply as a means but always at the same time as an end." What does Kant's statement of this second form of the categorical imperative tell us?

Explanation / Answer

Kantian philosophy focuses on deontological ethics, which lays emphasis on the rightness of actions, rather than the rightness of consequences. This does not hold good for every situation. Some situations warrant Utilitarianism approach to make correct decisions. Morality cannot be viewed in isolation of duty, otherwise it will lead to catastrophe. It should not be an asolute philosophy. Duty should have a greater importance in relation to morality. What needs to be analysed while choosing morality over duty is whether by doing so, more harm is caused to the society at large at the cost of preserving the rightness of action. the other aspect that needs to be considered is who benefits from choosing morality over duty. For instance, In the situation of a murderer asking for the location of his pontential victim, morality says one should tell the truth. But by doing so, we are helping a criminal in achieving his objective and causing harm to an innocent victim. In the long run, the murderer will also be harmed, because our action helped him in committing a crime, which otherwise he may not have been able to commit. Therefore Duty should take precedence over morality in such a situation.

Kant's statement of second form of categorical imperative tells us that humanity should be treated with an eye on the consequences, together with the rightness of actions. This statement is in contrast to Kantian ethics about the murderer predicament.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse H
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.