Moral Philosophy: Kant and Virtue Ethics

📋 Course Outline

1. Kantian ethics and universal law
2. Human dignity and moral duty
3. Kantian strengths and criticisms
4. Virtue ethics and character
5. Philippa Foot and the trolley problem

📖 1. Kantian ethics and universal law

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Universalisation of actions: Universalisation is the idea that an action’s moral acceptability depends on whether you would want everyone to do it.
• Deontological ethics: Deontological ethics holds that morality depends on the action and its required duties rather than on outcomes.

📝 Essential Points

• Kant’s method asks whether the action you are considering could be willed as a universal rule for all people.
• Kant rejects the view that the consequences decide rightness because the future cannot be reliably known.
• Kant links the wrongness of lying and murder to the kind of world you would end up endorsing through universal practice.
• Kant’s framing is often tested with cases where someone pleads for an exception, like an axe murderer seeking your friend.

💡 Memory Hook

Universal law check: “Would I want everyone to do this?”

📖 2. Human dignity and moral duty

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions