Kant's Search for the Supreme Principle of Morality

237 Pages·2002·1 MB·English

by  Samuel J. Kerstein

Kant’s Search for the Supreme
Principle of Morality
SAMUEL J. KERSTEIN
UniversityofMaryland,CollegePark
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Firstpublished2002
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TypefaceitcNewBaskerville10/12pt. SystemLATEX2ε [tb]
AcatalogrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationdata
Kerstein,SamuelJ.,1965–
Kant’ssearchforthesupremeprincipleofmorality/Samuel J.Kerstein.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn0-521-81089-2
1.Kant,Immanuel,1724–1804–Ethics. I.Title.
b2799.e8k45 2002
170–dc21 2001043918
isbn0521810892hardback
ForLisa
Contents
Acknowledgments pagexi
KeytoAbbreviationsandTranslations xiii
Introduction:Derivation,Deduction,andtheSupreme
PrincipleofMorality 1
i.1 NoModestClaim 1
i.2 TheBasicConceptoftheSupremePrincipleofMorality 1
i.3 DerivationandDeductionoftheCategoricalImperative 4
i.4 The(Alleged)GapintheDerivationoftheFormula
ofUniversalLaw 7
i.5 TerminologicalandThematicClarifications 10
i.6 OutlineoftheBook 11
1 FundamentalConceptsinKant’sTheoryofAgency 16
1.1 AimsandLimitsoftheDiscussion 16
1.2 Maxims:ABasicAccount 16
1.3 MaximsandOtherRulesoftheSameForm 19
1.4 TheWill 20
1.5 DeterminingGroundsoftheWill 21
1.6 ActingfromInclination:ThreeInterpretations
andTheirImportance 22
1.7 ActingfromInclinationintheGroundwork andinthe
MetaphysicsofMorals 24
1.8 MaterialPracticalPrinciples:ActingfromInclination
intheCritiqueofPracticalReason 29
2 TranscendentalFreedomandtheDerivationoftheFormula
ofUniversalLaw 33
2.1 DerivationintheCritiqueofPracticalReason:Allison’s
Reconstruction 33
vii
viii Contents
2.2 AThickAccountofKantianRationalAgency 34
2.3 DesireandJustificationofAction 36
2.4 PracticalLawandJustificationofAction 39
2.5 PracticalLawandtheFormulaofUniversalLaw 42
3 TheDerivationoftheFormulaofHumanity 46
3.1 OutlineoftheDerivation 46
3.2 TheSupremePrincipleofMoralityandUnconditional
Value 47
3.3 TheUnconditionalValueofHumanity:
Kant’sArgument 54
3.4 Korsgaard’sReconstruction:Preliminaries 55
3.5 TheSupremePrincipleofMoralityandGoodEnds 56
3.6 FromGoodEndstotheUnconditionalValue
ofHumanity:TheRegressiveArgument 59
3.7 TheFailureoftheRegressiveArgument 65
3.8 ShortcomingsintheDerivationoftheFormula
ofHumanity 71
4 TheDerivationoftheFormulaofUniversalLaw:
ACriterialReading 73
4.1 MainStepsoftheDerivationontheCriterialReading 73
4.2 Korsgaard’sReadingoftheDerivation 74
4.3 TheStructureofGroundworkI 77
4.4 TheFailureofOneVersionoftheTraditionalReading
oftheDerivation 77
4.5 TheChallengePosedbyAune’sVersionofthe
TraditionalReading 78
4.6 From Duty and Moral Worth to Two Criteria for the
SupremePrincipleofMorality 80
4.7 LawasMotive:AThirdCriterionfortheSupreme
PrincipleofMorality 82
4.8 TheCriterialReadingandGroundworkII 86
4.9 CoherencewithOrdinaryMoralReason:
AFourthCriterion 87
4.10 TheApriorityoftheSupremePrincipleofMorality 89
4.11 RejectingtheTraditionalInterpretationofthe
GroundworkIIDerivation 91
4.12 Summary 93
5 CriteriafortheSupremePrincipleofMorality 95
5.1 PlanofDiscussion:FocusonFirstCriterion 95
5.2 MoralWorthandActionsContrarytoDuty 96
5.3 TwoConditionsonActingfromDuty 98
5.4 AllActionsfromDutyHaveMoralWorth 104
Contents ix
5.5 OnlyActionsfromDutyHaveMoralWorth 106
5.6 TheSecondCriterionandItsGrounds 109
5.7 TheThirdCriterionandItsGrounds 110
5.8 RelationsbetweentheCriteria 112
6 DutyandMoralWorth 114
6.1 AimsoftheDiscussion 114
6.2 MoralWorthandHelpingaFriendfromDuty 116
6.3 OneThoughtTooMany? 118
6.4 TheMoralWorthofActionsContrarytoDuty 119
6.5 ADisturbingAsymmetryinKant’sView
ofMoralWorth 119
6.6 FailureofWillorUnfortunateEvent? 121
6.7 MoralPermissibilityandMoralWorthinthe
MetaphysicsofMorals 124
6.8 The(Alleged)TransparencyofMoralRequirements 127
6.9 OdiousActionsandMoralWorth 129
6.10 SympathyandMoralWorth 132
6.11 Summary 138
7 EliminatingRivalstotheCategoricalImperative 139
7.1 AimsoftheDiscussion 139
7.2 ASweepingArgumentagainstAllRivals 140
7.3 TheStructureofActUtilitarianism 145
7.4 AgainstActUtilitarianism 146
7.5 AgainstExpectabilistUtilitarianism 148
7.6 AgainstPerfectionism 152
7.7 KantianConsequentialism? 153
7.8 AgainstaPrincipleAkintotheTenCommandments 155
7.9 FurtherNonconsequentialistRivals 158
7.10 Summary 159
8 Conclusion:Kant’sCandidatesfortheSupremePrinciple
ofMorality 160
8.1 Kant’sCandidatesandCriteriafortheSupreme
PrincipleofMorality 160
8.2 Two Formulas and the Basic Concept of the Supreme
PrincipleofMorality 162
8.3 TwoFormulasandFurtherCriteria 165
8.4 TwoFormulasandOrdinaryMoralConsciousness 167
8.5 FormulaofUniversalLaw:PracticalContradiction
Interpretation 168
8.6 FormulaofUniversalLaw:UniversalAvailability
Interpretation 171
8.7 FundamentalsoftheFormulaofHumanity 174
x Contents
8.8 DerivingDutiesfromtheFormulaofHumanity 177
8.9 FormulaofHumanity:FurtherChallenges 183
8.10 WhereWeEndUp 187
Notes 193
Index 221
Acknowledgments
Thisbookwouldnothavebeencompletedwithouthelpandsupportfrom
avarietyofsources.
I would like to thank Terence Moore and Brian R. MacDonald of
CambridgeUniversityPressfortheirpatienceandexpertiseinguidingme
throughthepublicationprocess.
Material from four of my papers has been reworked into the book.
Chapter1 incorporates “Kant’s (Not So Radical) Hedonism,” in Kant und
die Berliner Aufkla¨rung. Akten des IX. Internationalen Kant-Kongresses, vol.3,
ed. V. Gerhardt, R.-P. Horstmann, and R. Schumacher (Berlin: Walter de
Gruyter, 2001), pp. 245–253. Part of Chapter 3 stems from “Korsgaard’s
Kantian Arguments for the Value of Humanity,” Canadian Journal of
Philosophy31(March2001):23–52.SectionsofChapters4and7havebeen
adaptedfromapaperIcoauthoredwithBerysGaut:“TheDerivationwith-
out the Gap: Rethinking Groundwork I,” Kantian Review 3 (1999): 18–40.
Finally, parts of Chapters 5 and 6 were published in “The Kantian Moral
WorthofActionsContrarytoDuty,”Zeitschriftfu¨rPhilosophischeForschung53
(1999): 530–551. I acknowledge with appreciation the permission of the
publisherstousematerialfromthesepapers.
Mostofthebookwaswrittenduringtheacademicyear1999–2000,which
IspentasaFellowattheNationalHumanitiesCenterinTrianglePark,North
Carolina.IwouldliketothanktheNationalEndowmentfortheHumanities
for supporting my stay there. The administrators and staff at the National
HumanitiesCentercouldnothavebeenmoreencouragingandhelpful.In
particularIwouldliketothankKarenCarroll,whoeditedanearlyversion
ofmymanuscript.(Iwouldalsoliketothank JaneStrongforeditingalater
version.)Preliminaryworkonthemanuscriptwasmadepossiblebysupport
from the University of Maryland, College Park, in the form of a General
ResearchBoardgrantthatrelievedmefrommyteachingdutiesduringthe
fallof1996.IwouldliketothanktheUniversityofMarylandforthissupport,
aswellasforgrantingmeleavetoworkattheNationalHumanitiesCenter.
xi
xii Acknowledgments
Fortheircommentsandcriticismsofportionsofthisbook,Iwouldlike
tothankaudiencesattheBritishKantSocietyAnnualMeeting,theCentral
Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, the Midwest
Study Group of the North American Kant Society, Duke University, the
University of St. Andrews, and the University of North Carolina, Chapel
Hill.
FromearlyonIhavebeenfortunatetohavehadoutstandingteachers.I
wouldliketothankNoe¨lCarrollandVictorGourevitchfortheirguidance,
both philosophical and personal. I am grateful to Bonnie Kent who took
thetimetoteachmenotonlyhowtoworkinthehistoryofphilosophybut
toappreciatetheimportanceofdoingso.
IhavelearnedagreatdealaboutKantianethicsfromdiscussionand/or
correspondence with many philosophers, including Paul Cohen, Miche`le
Crampe-Casnabet, Garrett Cullity, David Cummiskey, Raymond Geuss,
Ste´phane Haber, Thomas Hill Jr., Dieter Scho¨necker, Ralf Sto¨cker, and
Allen Wood. I owe a special debt of gratitude to Berys Gaut. Some cen-
tralideasinthebookstemfromourcollaborativework,andBeryshasbeen
generousinencouragingmetodevelopthematgreaterlength.Readersfor
Cambridge University Press, as well as two others, offered comments that
have,Ithink,enabledmetostrengthenseveralofmyarguments.Duringmy
stayattheNationalHumanitiesCenter,Iprofitedfrom(oftenambulatory)
dialogue with many colleagues, including Ruth Grant, Michelle Masse´,
LouiseMcReynolds,BernardReginster,DanielSherman,EleonoreStump,
TimothyTaylor,andMarjorieWoods.Iwasespeciallyfortunatetohavebeen
abletodiscussphilosophywithThomasChristiano,whonotonlyprovided
intellectualinspiration,butpatientlyhelpedmetoworkoutsomekeypoints
inthebook.MyfriendsandcolleaguesattheUniversityofMaryland,espe-
ciallyJudithLichtenbergandCoreyWashington,haveaidedmeatseveral
points,bothintellectuallyandpersonally,incarryingoutthisproject.
I am deeply grateful for the help and support I have received from
Ru¨diger Bittner, Thomas Pogge, and Michael Slote. From the beginning,
these philosophers have played essential roles in the book’s development.
Eachgavemevaluableadviceonmyprojectasitunfolded,andofferedtren-
chantandproductivecommentsonthemanuscriptasawhole.Myapproach
toKantianethicsowesagreatdealtoeachofthem.
Finally, I would like to thank my in-laws John and Jane Strong, my
parents Howard and JoAnn Kerstein, and especially my wife Lisa Strong,
fortheirconstantencouragementduringthewritingofthisbook.
Key to Abbreviations and Translations
Except for references to the Critique of Pure Reason, all references to Kant
are to the Preussische Akademie der Wissenschaften edition of his works
(Berlin: Walter de Gruyter [and predecessors], 1902). References to the
CritiqueofPureReasonaretothestandardAandBpaginationofthefirstand
secondeditions.IlistheretheGermantitle,academyedition(Ak.)volume
number, and abbreviation for each of the works I cite. Under each entry,
I specify the English edition I have consulted. The translations I employ
sometimesvaryfromthoseoftheseEnglisheditions.
Anth AnthropologieinpragmatischerHinsicht(Ak.7)
AnthropologyfromaPragmaticPointofView,tr.VictorL.Dowdell.
Carbondale:SouthernIllinoisUniversityPress,1978.
GMS GrundlegungzurMetaphysikderSitten(Ak.4)
GroundworkoftheMetaphysicsofMorals,tr.MaryJ.Gregor.
InImmanuelKant:PracticalPhilosophy,42–108.Cambridge:
CambridgeUniversityPress,1996.
KpV KritikderpraktischenVernunft(Ak.5)
CritiqueofPracticalReason,tr.MaryJ.Gregor.InImmanuelKant:
PracticalPhilosophy,138–271.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversity
Press,1996.
KrV KritikderreinenVernunft(1sted.(A)1781;2nded.(B)1787;
Ak. 3–4)
CritiqueofPureReason,tr.N.KempSmith.NewYork:St.Martin’s
Press,1965.
KU KritikderUrteilskraft(Ak.5)
CritiqueofJudgment,tr.WernerS.Pluhar.Hackett:Indianapolis,
1987.
KUE ErsteEinleitunginderKritikderUrteilskraft(Ak.20)
InCritiqueofJudgment,tr.WernerS.Pluhar.Hackett:Indianapolis,
1987.
xiii