Kant's search for the supreme principle of morality

240 Pages·2005·1.768 MB·English

by  Kant, Immanuel, Kerstein, Samuel J

Kant’sSearchfortheSupremePrincipleofMorality
AtthecoreofKant’sethicsliestheclaimthatifthereisasupremeprin-
cipleofmorality,thenitisnotautilitarianorAristotelianperfectionist
principle,orevenaprincipleresemblingtheTenCommandments.
The only viable candidate for the supreme principle of morality is
theCategoricalImperative.
This book is the most detailed investigation of this claim. It con-
structsanew,criterial readingof Kant’sderivationofoneversionof
theCategoricalImperative:theFormulaofUniversalLaw.Thisread-
ingshowsthisderivationtobefarmorecompellingthancontempo-
raryphilosopherstendtobelieve.Italsorevealsanovelapproachto
derivinganotherversionoftheCategoricalImperative,theFormula
ofHumanity,aprinciplewidelyconsideredtobethemostattractive
Kantiancandidateforthesupremeprincipleofmorality.
Lucidlywrittenanddealingwithafoundationaltopicinthehistory
of ethics, this book will be important not just for Kant scholars but
forabroadswathofstudentsofphilosophy.
Samuel J.KersteinisAssociateProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniver-
sityofMaryland,CollegePark.

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