An image of philosopher Immanuel Kant (Source: Stanford News)
Immanuel Kant was a philosopher that lived from 1724 to 1804. His ideas pose a challenge to utilitarianism, a popular philosophy stating that the most moral decision is the one that creates the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Unlike other philosophies, Kant’s beliefs don’t depend on the idea that we “own ourselves” like libertarianism, or that our rights are a “gift from God” like Locke’s perspective.
Kant’s work was largely guided by two leading questions: What is the supreme principle of morality, and what is freedom? The central premise of Kant’s perspective is that humans are rational beings worthy of dignity and respect. An individual is not an end to a greater good (like what utilitarianism teaches) but is already an end in itself. This idea is summarized in his quote: “Treat people as an ends, not a means.”
Kant’s ideas are often taught through the story of The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens, an actual court case that happened in England. In the case, captain Dudley, first mate Stephens, sailor Brooks, and cabin boy Parker all boarded a ship called The Mignonette. However, the ship ran into trouble, and they all had to escape to a lifeboat. After a few weeks out at sea, they finished all their food rations and began to become very hungry. Parker the cabin boy drank some seawater even though he was advised not to by the more experienced crew members, and became very sick and unconscious. Eventually, Dudley and Stephens ended Parker’s life and ate his body to survive.
Under utilitarianism, Dudley’s and Stephen’s actions would be permissible, because the death of one person leads to the survival of three others. However, their actions violate Kantian ethics, because Parker was treated as an “end,” and not a “means.”
Freedom, Kant believes, doesn’t lie in satisfying or following desires. Seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, like how utilitarianism teaches, turns individuals into slaves to their desires, just like animals. Instead, freedom means making choices based on reason. One of his most famous quotes says, “All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason.”
For an action to be truly moral, Kant argues that it must be a deliberate, autonomous choice. Morality is achieved through a motive of goodwill and reason. Usually, that means obeying a certain set of moral laws, or the “categorical imperatives” that he created. Thus, individuals must choose duties (not “wants” like utilitarianism) and resist what comes naturally. Otherwise, we are no better than animals.
Discussion Questions:
Which philosophy do you agree with more? Kantian ethics or utilitarianism?
Do you think Dudley’s and Stephen’s actions were morally permissible?
What do you think it means to treat others as an “ends” and not a “means”?
Vocabulary:
Moral: relating to what’s good or bad
Premise: idea
Dignity: worth
Unconscious: loss of all senses
Permissible: approved
Desires: wants
Deliberate: thought through
Autonomous: independent, without outside influence
Motive: reasoning
Resist: to not give into
