Days 20 & 21: Imperatives & Objectivity

•      Objectivity in Practical Reason

•      Maxims and Imperatives

•      Universalization Formulations

•      Means-end Formulation

•      The Kingdom of Ends

•      Read FPMM, section 3

•      Read Scruton, chapter 6

Objectivity in Practical Reason

•      We can ask, “What does it mean to say the world is flat or round?” When we understand what it means, we can ask, “Is the world flat or round?”

•      Similarly, we can ask, “What does it mean to say there is objectivity in morality?”  When we understand what it means, we can ask, “Is morality objective (or objectively binding)?”

Objectivity in Practical Reason

•      FPMM section 2 is not an attempt to show that morality is objectively binding; it is an attempt to explain what it would mean to say that morality is objectively binding.  The attempt to show morality is objective (or, at least, to motivate acceptance of such a morality) is postponed until section 3 of FPMM, and the CPrR.

Objectivity in Practical Reason

•      Some important passages on objectivity: FPMM 25, 35, 39, 40-2, 44, 47-48, 53, 54, 55, 57, 60, 61, 70, 81, 82

•      These passages make a few things clear:

–   For Kant, something being objective is associated with it being binding on all rational beings

–   Kant does not think he is establishing the objectivity of morality in section 2 of FPMM

–   He sees himself as taking up the issue in section 3

Maxims and Imperatives

•      What is a maxim?

•      What is an imperative?

•      What is a hypothetical imperative?

•      What is a categorical imperative?

•      Duty, moral law, categorical imperative, and objectivity (or the objectively binding)

Universalization Formulations

•      The various formulations of the categorical imperative are tests for whether subjective maxims could be objectively binding

•      Universal law (section 1) and Universal law of nature formulations (sections 1 & 2)

Universalization Formulations

•      Applications of the universalization test

–   Perfect duties

–   Imperfect duties

Means-end Formulation

•      Autonomy and being and end in itself

•      The means-end formulation/test

•      Applications

The Kingdom of Ends

•      The kingdom of ends is the community of rational, autonomous beings; it is the community of ends-in-themselves

•      The kingdom of ends formulation/test

•      The alleged equivalence of the various formulations/tests

•      Remainder of section 2

Discussion

•      Duty, desire, emotion (& objectivity)

•      Varieties of agents and patients (& objectivity)

•      Questions about how to apply the tests/formulations, and questions about some of the results (& objectivity)