Kant & Categorical Imperatives: Crash Course Philosophy #35
Published on Nov 14, 2016
Our next stop on our tour of ethics is Kant’s ethics. Today Hank explains hypothetical and categorical imperatives, the universalizability principle, autonomy, and what it means to treat people as ends-in-themselves, rather than as mere means.
I found this crash course really interesting! I learned that we should not manipulate others for our own benefit because that's a violation of Kant's second categorical imperative. Unarguably, humans have the tendency to lie. However, what good does that really do? Most of the time, it just makes matters worse like in the thought bubble example.
ReplyDeleteLourdes Madrigal
5921427
I thought this video was interesting, and I agree that we shouldn't steal because that would make it okay for other people to do the same. We know that stealing is bad and we shouldn't make any exceptions for ourselves. It is also hard not to lie. We lie so we won't hurt someone's feelings, but it is probably best to be honest with them.
ReplyDeleteAmelie Onate
5678853
In this video I like when Hank states than in order to determine whats right you have to use reason and a sense of consideration for other people. When choosing what is right from wrong, you can’t be selfish because that will end up hurting others, which is wrong. Morality and religion in my opinion have nothing to do, because everyone has different religious believes but everyone should have morals. Morality should be always looked at as a categorical imperative which is something we must do, rather than a hypothetical imperative.
ReplyDeleteLuis Garcia B.
PID: 5754979
Very interesting and informative video! Kant teaches us that we should not manipulate others for our own benefit. He also talks about stealing, and how people sometimes are against it but end up opening an "exception" for themselves. Morality is one of the most important values in my opinion. If everybody thinks in the same way about that "exception", then stealing/manipulating others is going to become something normal.
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic of conversation. Definitely points out the disadvantages of a white lie and how detrimental it can be in relationships with an extreme example :D
ReplyDeleteThe Universalizabality principal reminds me of "the Golden Rule" do onto others as you would want done to you. it also lends to the concept of leading by example. he discrepancy in this though is like morals its open to interpretation and can vary by situation or by person.. The topic of morality strongly intrsts me though, as it varies based on the locations and the upbringings or religious background of an individual, as you don't always know how you'll act until you're truly in the moment.
ReplyDeleteKant's second categorical imperative is a idea I already try to abide by with my social engagements. People should never be treated as a mere means, so when proposing any suggestion or action I always make sure I appeal to the other person's interest as well. These kind of things should always be mutually beneficial.
ReplyDeleteKyle Peche
5865833
This video was very interesting. It helped me different ways of morality. I personally try to practice universalizability.
ReplyDeleteSydney Garcia
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I enjoyed watching this video because it opened my eyes. I learned the importance how having the same standards for everyone. We all have different beliefs about religion and other topics, but when it comes to knowing what is morally wrong or right, we all know the right answer. We might not choose the right answer, but we all know what is should be. Kant was trying to say that we shouldn't be giving exceptions because that causes for the end result to be different. He made this clear with the example of stealing. We all know that stealing is wrong, but some cases of stealing are worse than others, so one might let go of some instance of stealing. But at the end of the day, stealing is stealing so it shouldn't be accepted. I learned many valuable lessons that I had never thought about while watching this video.
ReplyDeleteAdriana Ramirez
5926737
This video really was very insightful. I learned that manipulating others for our own benefit is against Kant's second categorical imperative. I strongly support Kant's reasoning in manipulation of others for our own personal gain.
ReplyDeleteI believe it is a topic that is kind of confusing since it is dealing with ethics and morality, and these are subject to change depending on the situation or person. With this I mean that for what is wrong for me, it might be right for you and viceversa.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is that we should always try to be honest with ourselves and try to always act and take decisions that would benefit us but at the same time would not harm the others.
This is a hard topic to discuss because it talks about ethics and morality and these change depending on the person who is talking about them and what their views are.
ReplyDeleteMorality and ethics is discussed in many different ways through different cultures. I believe that it is truly up to the individual and the way they were raised through different cultures and views.
ReplyDeletePID: 5238764
Philosophy isn't my favorite subject, but it's a good video on Ethics.
ReplyDeleteKant's categorical imperative was a very enjoyable subject for me to read and hear about since it argues that we can act on maxims that are universally applicable. Yet, in ethics, we learned that making up one part of his categorical imperative was "to never lie." I can think about examples when you should lie, such as if a company is laying off workers, and a fellow co-worker asks if this is just a rumor. If you do not lie then you risk that co-worker spreading the news which might lead others to preemptively retire. The other part of the categorical imperative resembles the golden rule strongly: people should not be used as a means to an end but as an end in themselves. I favor this approach, despite not believing in karma, reciprocal interactions are one of the best ways to assure fairness.
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