Categorical imperative

Hegel who is a German philosopher and an important figure of German idealism believes that consciousness of objects mention some awareness of self, as a subject, which is isolated from the recognized object. But Hegel argue that subjects are also objects when we look at the other subjects. In ‘the Phenomology of Spirit’, he tries to point out that self-consciousness is the awareness of another individual’s understanding of oneself. One of the most important pieces he wrote is called the…

German philosopher Immanuel Kant, uses his writing Prolegomena to discuss the question, is the study of metaphysics possible and what do we gain from studying or practicing it? Kant evaluates this question by discussing what distinguishes metaphysics from other natural sciences and mathematics. The many sections of this book explore this discussion and provide the necessary arguments to solve this question. Kant comes to a conclusion on the study of metaphysics and ultimately determines that…

Based upon these basic principles, Nietzsche saw that at face value, there would not be absolute truths, because there would not be anything outside of one’s own experience, and reality would be limited to the finite interpretation of the human mind. With this idea, he threw out the existence of God, since he is described as an infinite and absolute being, and any other types of absolute truth that could infer out of perspective knowledge. However, Nietzsche’s view of relativism is flawed…

A philosopher named A.J. Ayer would interpret Holbach's ideas. He believes that free will is compatible with determinism. He interprets Holbach's understanding of causal law, he argues that the laws of nature does not guarantee that something will happen a hundred percent. He wants to believe that human beings can be held responsible for their actions, if determinism is true. So he interprets determinism in a different way than Holbach, by simplifying the subject in his own words. He explains…

2.4.2.5. Criticism on the Retributivism The Kantian theories, such as the other ones, have some problems which attract the critics' attractions. The main criticisms are: 1. Despite the punishment is a worldly action, Kant used a metaphysical aim – justice – for it. That is justice is an indefinable, metaphysical and unlimited conception while punishment is corporeal and tangible and needs a tangible worldly aim, too. The tangible aim for punishment can be defined as being deterrent,…

In this paper I am going to compare and contrast the writings and ideas of Immanuel Kant and Thomas Hobbes. Both Kant and Hobbes speak on the subject of obedience to those who hold the power in society. While Kant ([1798] 1996) in his writing, “What is Enlightenment?” discusses how you may argue with those in authority as long as you obey, Hobbes ([1651] 2013) in his book “Leviathan” talks about how we cannot argue with the Sovereign because his will is our will and to argue with him is to argue…

they fail to take into account what precisely Kant means by the word freedom. This is probably for good reason though, as although our understanding of freedom here is absolutely crucial to Kant’s entire political philosophy, he never provides a categorical definition of what the word freedom means in relation to this…

The interference-licensing property of valid arguments is the property that if one accepts the premises then they also are bound to accept the conclusion (Schroder, 110). This is inherent in any argument. For instance, lying is wrong, and if lying is wrong then a liar will be punished; I must accept the conclusion that a liar will be punished. This inference-licensing property poses a problem for the expressivist theories. Expressivist theories, more or less, are theories that say that moral…

In this paper I will analyze Social Contract Theory, then I will apply this theory to a specific ethical issue, in order to determine which position should be taken, i.e., which position is most justified. The main question at stake in the ethical issue that I be exploring is “Should a driverless car be programmed to crash and sacrifice its passengers, rather than hit a larger number of pedestrians, if it only has those two choices?” That question, as asked, generates two main positions: That…

Loosely defined Kant’s deontology is that ethics should be based on consistent, logical thinking. His theory rests in the roots of duty and goodwill. He argues that one is ought to do the right thing merely for its own sake. The main concept of the theory starts with considering all possible optional actions. Subsequent concepts are: applying universality, eliminating all options that could not logically be moral standards for everyone; apply respect for persons, eliminating all options that…