KANTIAN

ETHICS
NCM 108 - BIOETHICS
GROUP 3
 Group Members
LEGASPI, HEMMADEE JOY G.
CHIJINDU, PRINCE
CURA, DARREL LOIS
TABOY, GUILLEN FRITZ
SANGALANG, CHRYSTIAN ANGELO
PELONGCO, RAVEN CLAIRE
PANDARAOAN, TAMY NICOLE
SANA, PRINCESS PEARL
 Table of Contents
Immanuel Kant
Background of Kantian Ethics
Key Ideas of Kantian Ethics
Examples of Kantian Ethics Ideas
Who is Immanuel Kant?
IMMANUEL KANT
Born on 1724, at East Prussia.
German Philosopher.
He was a central figure in the
Enlightenment and one of the most
influential philosophers in Western
thought.
What is Kantian Ethics?
BACKGROUND OF KANTIAN THEORY
Developed by Immanuel Kant in
18th Century.
Deontological moral theory.
Contrasts consequentialist
theories.
Key Ideas of Kantian Ethics
CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE
The categorical imperative is the cornerstone of Kant’s ethical
theory. Unlike hypothetical imperatives, which are conditional
commands based on desires (e.g., “If you want to be healthy, you
should exercise”), categorical imperatives are unconditional
moral obligations that apply to everyone, regardless of personal
goals or inclinations.
Act as you would want all other people to act towards all other
people. Act according to the maxim that you would wish all other
rational people to follow, as if it were a universal law.
Key Ideas of Kantian Ethics
1st Formulation: Universality of Maxims
Maxim - personal rule or general principle that
underlies a particular action.
Any rule that you follow should apply to everyone-
there’s nothing special about you to be an
exception.
The rule you will follow, should be universally
applied with no contraindications in order for it to
be morally acceptable.
Key Ideas of Kantian Ethics
2nd Formulation: Respect for All.
Kant believes that all humans are intrinsically
valuable, all humans are not measured by worth but
are rather equal.
Treating humans as an end, and not a means to an
end.
Don’t do unto others, what you don’t want others to
do unto you. So, the rule that you should follow is
what will only bring good to all.
Key Ideas of Kantian Ethics
GOOD WILL
Doing the right thing is not enough for making an
action to have full moral worth. It is necessary to
act with good will, by which Kant means something
like the inclination to do good or what is also known
as a good character. This is intuitively agreeable
because it seems that if an otherwise good action
is done with bad or selfish intentions, it diminishes
the action of its moral goodness.
Key Ideas of Kantian Ethics
GOOD WILL EXAMPLE
Kant recognizes that it is difficult to determine one’s intentions, so he makes a
distinction between acting in conformity with duty and acting from duty. To
illustrate this distinction, let’s take the example of three young men who see
an elderly woman needing help across the street. Man A decides he will help
the woman across the street because if he didn’t he would feel guilty all day.
Man B decides he will help the woman across the street because he
recognizes her as his neighbor, Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Wilson makes the best
cookies in the neighborhood. So, Man B helps her because he reasons that he
will be rewarded. Man C decides he will help the woman across the street
because it is the right thing to do; he understands that he has a moral
obligation to help others in need when he can.
Key Ideas of Kantian Ethics
The results of all three individuals are the same–the woman is helped
across the street. If we were looking at this from a utilitarian
perspective, all three of the young men would be morally
praiseworthy because in all three cases, happiness or well-being is
increased (or pain is relieved). However, for Kant, only one of the
young men’s actions have moral worth and it is Man C; he
understands what his moral duty is and he acts from it. The other
two act only in conformity with duty–they are driven by some other
goal or desire aside from duty itself.
Key Ideas of Kantian Ethics
AUTONOMY AND RESPECTING CHOICES
Kant emphasized the importance of autonomy, the
ability of individuals to make rational, self-
governed choices.
He believed that respecting individuals means
acknowledging their capacity to make their own
moral decisions. Thus, moral actions should not
manipulate or coerce others but should respect
their autonomy.
Key Ideas of Kantian Ethics
OOBJECTIVE MORAL STANDARDS
Kant argued that moral principles are objective and
universal. These principles are derived from reason,
making them independent of individual preferences
or cultural contexts. According to Kant, because all
rational beings can recognize these moral laws,
they apply to everyone equally.
Examples of Kantian Ethics
LYING
According to Kant, lying is morally impermissible
because the maxim “it is acceptable to lie” could
not be universalized. If everyone lied, trust would be
impossible, leading to societal breakdown. Thus,
lying violates the categorical imperative, as it
treats others as a means to an end.
Examples of Kantian Ethics
RESPECTING AUTONOMY IN MEDICINE
In a medical setting, Kantian ethics would require
doctors to fully respect a patient’s autonomy by
ensuring they are informed and able to make their
own decisions about treatment. For example,
withholding critical information to encourage a
certain decision would be morally unacceptable, as
it undermines the patient’s autonomy and treats
them as a means to an end.
Examples of Kantian Ethics
PROMISES
Breaking a promise is considered morally wrong in
Kantian ethics because if “breaking promises”
became a universal rule, promises would lose their
value and meaning. Kant’s perspective emphasizes
that one should keep promises out of a sense of
duty, regardless of the potential personal or
immediate benefits of breaking them.
Highlights of Kantian Ethics
We are all bound to do good; it is our duty.
In all actions, good will must be with it.
With rationality, we do not intentionally harm
others; rather, we do what we believe will bring
good to all.
Self improvement and self preservation is an
undebatable obligation that is placed upon
everyone.
Essentially, a person should act the way they would
want everyone else to act.