tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393996338560944889.post8770869412636906381..comments2024-03-02T02:26:00.928-05:00Comments on bleakonomy: Kant: get it righttetracontadigonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04604381739383227553noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393996338560944889.post-54780878380369462822010-03-01T14:03:43.211-05:002010-03-01T14:03:43.211-05:00Yes, I know that Kant believed lying was always wr...Yes, I know that Kant believed lying was always wrong, no matter the circumstances. Lying to a murderer at the door is wrong in Kant's ethics. I believe this line can be further extended to show that a victim leaving a false trail to misdirect a pursuing murderer is <i>also wrong</i> since it violates the Categorical Imperative just as lying does. It Kant be correct to argue this way, at least according to my intuition.Gadfly Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393996338560944889.post-19213666694134421682010-03-01T13:06:34.037-05:002010-03-01T13:06:34.037-05:00I agree that the humanity formulation has its prob...I agree that the humanity formulation has its problems. But fewer than the others.<br /><br />And Kant did specifically answer that you should not lie to the Gestapo. Plenty of Kantians, however, have justified lying to the Gestapo.<br /><br />I'll do a meta-ethics post and talk about objective morality sometime soon.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09953173396955681485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393996338560944889.post-13191430330230564932010-03-01T11:40:49.064-05:002010-03-01T11:40:49.064-05:00Immanuel Kant, but Genghis Khan!
Let's say yo...Immanuel Kant, but Genghis Khan!<br /><br />Let's say you lie under the maxim that you must say whatever it takes to get <i>another</i> out of a rough situation (the old "Gestapo at the door looking for Jewish neighbors" scenario). If everyone could act on that maxim, then testimony would mean absolutely nothing. So is lying (to the Gestapo) a rational act?<br /><br />The Humanity formulation also has problems; who qualifies as a 'person' entitled to respect as a member of Humanity? A brain damaged individual in a coma? An elderly Alzheimer's patient? A fetus 2 minutes from birth?<br /><br />AFAICT, all formulations of morality fail the Objective Reality test, to wit, there is no preferred morality according to Objective Reality. The SS officer is not better or worse than Gandhi in any objective fashion. If you can demonstrate I'm wrong, I really, really would be grateful, because I don't like this result.Gadfly Johnnoreply@blogger.com