Kant and Right

LESSON 2
(3 HOURS)

LEARNING OUTCOMES

UNIT 4:
At the end of the lesson the learners are expected to:

 Reflect and articulate the rights theory

 Differentiate a legal from a moral right make use of the rights
theory

Frameworks and Principles behind our Moral Disposition

INTRODUCTION

In this lesson let us explore more about our ways of living

and how to improve our learning from each idea that they would offer
us. Kant will discuss more about the goal of the human beings in the
society. He will demonstrate to us on how to do well not only external
but it should also be internal.
We will also encounter here that what we see as good from
outside is the same of what the person is thinking inside. Kant will
change our perspective of the real good from that deceiving good.
Because often we are deceived by others through their so called
external gesture of help but actually they are just taking advantage
of our situation.
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Let’s Look Back

What do think is the idea of Aristotle and St. Thomas about the way we act in the
society?

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Let’s Analyze and Prepare

https://images.app.goo.gl/6p4tUEntzEsbuR9e9

Just look at the future tree.

And try to get some learnings and lessons from the future tree.

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Let’s Discover

Immanuel Kant

Kant looks at the development, creation and implementation of rights as

primarily dependent on the state and how the government within the state functions.
Furthermore, Kant stresses that a society can only function politically in relation to the
state if fundamental rights, laws and entitlements are given and enhanced by the state.
He also examined the idea of human rights within politics in such a way that it “isonly a
legitimate government that guarantees our natural right to freedom, and from this
freedom we derive other rights”.
As Kant teaches, these “righteous laws” are founded upon 3 rational principles:
 The liberty of every member of the society as a man
 The equality of every member of the society with every other, as a
subject
 The independence of every member of the commonwealth as a citizen.

The Good Will

The will, Kant says, is the faculty of acting according to a conception of law.
When we act, whether or not we achieve what we intend with our actions is often
beyond our control, so the morality of our actions does the action. That is, we can willto
act according to one law rather than another. The morality of an action, therefore, must
be assessed in terms of the motivation behind it.

THE GOOD WILL, CONSEQUENCES, AND DUTIES

1. What is good in itself, for Kant? The only thing that is good in itself is a good
will. What is the will? It can be thought of as the faculty in one's mind for
choosing a course of action.
2. How does a good will choose? A good will chooses an act for good reason(s)
and because it is one’s duty.
3. The good will, motives, and intentions. Having a good will is roughly equivalent
to having good intentions. Your behavior and other externalities are worthless
without a good will. Two people can do the same action, but depending on the
principle/maxim they acted on, they are not acting ethically.
4. Reason vs. emotion, pleasure, or inclination. According to Kant, value and base
our actions on reason and duty, and not on emotion, pleasure, or inclination.

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Let’s Discover
5. Getting pleasure from doing an action. Before, during or after that is fine, but
pleasure cannot be the main part of your motivation for doing the action.
Paradigmatic Kantian situation: You get no pleasure, you have no desire to help
others, but you help others anyway from a sense of duty. You've acted morally,
according to Kant!

6. Consequences are irrelevant. Kant thinks consequences are irrelevant to

determining what is moral or not ("A good will is not good because of what it
effects or accomplishes, it is good through its willing alone, that is, well in itself”).

Categorical Imperative
The categorical imperative is the way in which you determine what your duties
are, what you should and should not do. It is categorical, because it applies (or is
intended to apply) to everyone, without any exceptions, and it is an imperative, since it
is a command. So it is a command that applies consistently, to everyone.
There are three formulations for our purposes
1. First Formulation: "Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same
time will that it should become a universal law. “
2. Second Formulation: "Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in
your own person or in the person of another, always at the same time as an
end and never simply as a means
3. People have autonomy (Greek: auto-nomos – law unto ourselves) – we create
laws for ourselves, we determine our ends through practical reason. Autonomy
is roughly equivalent to free will.

MAXIM
A description of action in Imperative form. According to Kant, these are
subjective rules that guide action.
- Relevant Act Description
- Sufficient Generality
All actions have Maxim, such as;
- Never lie to your friends.
- Never act in a way that would make your parents ashamed of you.
- It’s okay to cheat if you need to.
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Let’s Do It

Question: What is the picture telling us?

Answer: the picture summarizes the idea that people are not a thing that we will be
using to be better in life by taking advantage unto them. Because there are lot of people
in the work place that took advantage with others by claiming the achievements of
others as theirs.

Let’s Try Some More

The picture above there are two characters, the advantage takers and victim.
Question: from those two characters with whom is dominant in you?
Answer: from those two mentioned above. I am most likely the victim for I am always
fall into the pit of doing something to help but at the end I realize that they are
enjoying the time I am spending helping.

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Let’s Have Your Turn

Let’s draw from your own experience…

Question: Have you ever done bribing someone it’s either from your family members
of other people pretending to help them but you are just doing it to exchange a favor?

Answer:

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Let’s Sum It Up

 Can you highlight the key point in Kant idea of what is the right thing? Write you
answer on the given space below.

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Let’s Extend and Link

House interview…

Try to ask your parents how they viewed politics during the election campaign period.
And evaluate their experiences then identify whether you could associate them in the
idea of Kant.

References

 Santrock, L. (2009). Lifespan development. 12th ed. McGraw Hill.

Retrieved from:

 https://www.csus.edu/indiv/e/estenson/archive/obe%20117/Lect117_chp2.ppt

 https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ab/RME/files/2010/12/Kantian-Ethics.ppt

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