Vaughn, Doing Ethics — Chapter 6: Kant's Ethics
On p. 123, (the paragraph beginning "For the consequentialist, the rightness of an action depends entirely..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "But for the nonconsequentialist (otherwise known as a deontologist)..."
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What distinguishes nonconsequentialist (deontological) theories from consequentialist theories?
On p. 123, (the paragraph beginning "The German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) is considered one..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "For him, reason alone leads us to..."
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What does Kant believe is the foundation of morality, and why does he reject other sources?
On p. 123, (the paragraph beginning "In Kant's ethics, right actions have moral value only if..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "In Kant's ethics, right actions have moral value only if..."
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What is the "good will" in Kant's ethics, and why do acts done from sympathy or for good results lack moral worth?
On p. 124, (the paragraph beginning "So to do right, we must do it for duty's sake..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "A hypothetical imperative tells us what we should do if..."
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What is the difference between a hypothetical imperative and a categorical imperative?
On p. 124, (the paragraph beginning "Kant says that all our duties, all the moral categorical imperatives..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "It tells us to "act only on that maxim..."
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What is the first version of the categorical imperative, and how does it test whether an action is morally permissible?
On p. 124, (the paragraph beginning "Kant demonstrates how to apply the first version of the categorical imperative..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "If all persons adopted this rule..."
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Why does the lying-promise maxim fail the test of the categorical imperative?
On p. 124, (the paragraph beginning "Some of the duties derived from the categorical imperative are..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "Perfect duties are those that absolutely must be followed without fail..."
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What is the difference between perfect and imperfect duties?
On p. 126, (the paragraph beginning "Kant's second version of the categorical imperative is probably more famous..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "This rule—the means-ends principle—says that..."
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What does Kant's means-ends principle declare, and what does it mean to treat persons as ends in themselves?
On p. 126, (the paragraph beginning "Sometimes we use people to achieve some end, yet our actions..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "We may treat a mechanic as a means to repair our cars..."
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What is the difference between treating someone as a means and treating them merely as a means?
On pp. 127-128, (the paragraph beginning "Kant's moral theory meets the minimum requirement of coherence..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "These scenarios are significant because, contrary to Kant's view..."
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Why does Kant's theory falter on Criterion 3 (usefulness) given conflicts between perfect duties?
On p. 129, (the paragraph beginning "Despite these criticisms, Kant's theory has been influential because..."), find the sentence beginning with the words: "Furthermore, it emphasizes three of morality's most important features:..."
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What three features of morality does Kant's theory emphasize, and why is the respect-for-persons principle an important check on utilitarianism?