Kantian Ethics, Dignity and Perfection

232 Pages·2017·1.712 MB·English

by  Paul Formosa

KANTIAN ETHICS,
DIGNITY AND PERFECTION
In this volume Paul Formosa sets out a novel approach to Kantian
ethicsasanethicsofdignitybyfocusingontheFormulaofHuman-
ity as a normative principle distinct from the Formula of Universal
Law.BysituatingtheKantianconceptionofdignitywithinthewider
literature on dignity, he develops an important distinction between
statusdignity,whichallrationalagentshave,andachievementdignity,
whichallrationalagentsshouldaspireto.Hethenexploresconstruc-
tivist and realist views on the foundation of the dignity of rational
agents,beforedevelopingacompellingaccountofwhodoesanddoes
nothavestatusdignity,andofwhatkindofachievementdignityor
virtuewe,asvulnerablerationalagents,canandshouldstrivefor.His
study will be highly valuable for those interested in Kant’s ethical,
moralandpoliticalphilosophies.
paul formosaisaSeniorLecturerinPhilosophyatMacquarieUni-
versity, Sydney and a member of the Centre for Agency, Value and
Ethics. He is co-editor of Politics and Teleology in Kant (2014) and
has published numerous articles and chapters on various aspects of
Kantianphilosophy.

KANTIAN ETHICS,
DIGNITY AND PERFECTION
PAUL FORMOSA
MacquarieUniversity,Sydney
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Names:Formosa,Paul,author.
Title:Kantianethics,dignity,andperfection/PaulFormosa.
Description:NewYork:CambridgeUniversityPress,2017.|
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:lccn2017019746|isbn9781107189249(alk.paper)
Subjects:LCSH:Kant,Immanuel,1724–1804.|Dignity.|
Respectforpersons.|Ethics.
Classification:lccb2799.e8f67 2017|ddc170.92–dc23
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Contents
ListofFigures pagevi
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction:KantianEthicsasanEthicsofDignity 1
1 TheCategoricalImperativeandtheFormulaofHumanity 15
2 GroundingDignity:AConstructivistFoundationforthe
FormulaofHumanity 37
3 TreatingPeoplewithDignityandRespect:HowtoApplythe
FormulaofHumanitytoVulnerableHumans 72
4 WhoHasDignity?RationalAgencyandtheLimitsofthe
FormulaofHumanity 120
5 AchievementDignity,VirtueandAutonomy:HowtoLiveUp
toYourStatusDignity 163
Bibliography 206
Index 219
v
Figures
4.1 Kantianviewsonwhohasdignity page132
vi
Acknowledgements
Iamdeeplyindebtedtocountlesscolleaguesandstudents(especiallythose
at Macquarie University) for their generous feedback and suggestions on
theissuescoveredinthisbook.Ihavealsobenefitedimmenselyfromformal
andinformalcomments,correspondencesanddiscussionswithnumerous
scholarsatconferences,workshopsandseminarsallovertheworld.Iwon’t
trytonameyouall,butmygratitudetoeachandeveryoneofyouisenor-
mous.Iwouldparticularlyliketothanktheparticipantsattheconference
on Human Dignity that I organised in 2013, including Marcus Düwell,
SamuelKerstein,CatrionaMackenzie,ThaddeusMetz,SarahClarkMiller,
Doris Schroeder and Oliver Sensen. I would also like to acknowledge the
fineworkofalltheKantianscholarswhohavegonebeforeme:yourwork
hasbeenasourceofgreatinspiration.Ideeplyappreciatetheconstructive
efforts of the two anonymous reviewers for Cambridge University Press
andthehelpfuladviceofthePress’seditor,HilaryGaskin.Theirfeedback
hashelpedtoimprovethisbookimmensely.
In writing this book I have benefited from the financial support that
my research has received: from the Australian Research Council, which
funded my DECRA fellowship (Project ID: DE120100320) which made
thisbookpossible;fromMacquarieUniversity,whostronglysupportedmy
DECRAfellowship;andfromtheCentreforAgency,ValuesandEthicsat
MacquarieUniversity.
InthisbookIhavedrawnonanumberofmypreviouslypublishedwrit-
ings.Igratefullyacknowledgethepermissionfromtherelevantpublishers
and editors to rework and reuse here extracts from the following publi-
cations (in order of use): Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, “Nussbaum,
Kant,andtheCapabilitiesApproachtoDignity”,17(5),2014,pp.875–892,
Paul Formosa and Catriona Mackenzie, ((cid:2)C Springer Science+Business
Media Dordrecht 2014), with permission of Springer; Paul Formosa, “Is
Kant a Moral Constructivist or a Moral Realist?”, European Journal of
(cid:2)
Philosophy, 21(2), 2011, pp. 170–196 (C 2011 John Wiley & Sons Ltd),
vii
viii Acknowledgments
withpermissionofJohnWileyandSons,Inc.;PaulFormosa,“Dignityand
Respect: How to Apply Kant’s Formula of Humanity”, The Philosophical
(cid:2)
Forum, 45(1), 2014, pp. 49–68 (C 2014 The Philosophical Forum, Inc.),
with permission of John Wiley and Sons, Inc.; Extracts from pp. 88–109
Ch. 3 “The Role of Vulnerability in Kantian Ethics”, Paul Formosa from
“Vulnerability: New Essays in Ethics and Feminist Philosophy” edited by
Mackenzie, C., Rogers, W.& Dodds, S. (2013), by permission of Oxford
(cid:2)
UniversityPress(C OxfordUniversityPress2014);PaulFormosa,“Kant’s
Conception of Personal Autonomy”, Journal of Social Philosophy, 44(3),
(cid:2)
2013,pp.193–212(C 2013WileyPeriodicals,Inc.),withpermissionofJohn
WileyandSons,Inc.;andPaulFormosa,“ALifewithoutAffectsandPas-
(cid:2)
sions:KantontheDutyofApathy”,Parrhesia,13,2011,pp.96–111(C Paul
Formosa2011),withpermissionofParrhesia.