He speculates about a "great king' who carried poison that he intended to take in case of capture so that he could not be coerced into acts that would harm his country," but fails to make a final judgment on such a hypothetical situation (Timmons, 283). This is a significant example because we should assume that this king would be facing certain death regardless of his actions, and that his reason for killing himself would not be to minimize personal pain, but to maximize overall happiness. This is a hazy situation for Kant because although the king would be using himself as a means to overall happiness, knowledge of his imminent death would almost demand that he take the poison so that others might not use him as a means to overall depravity. A second objection to Kant's stance on suicide is even more powerful; it debases the very foundation of his ethics. A situation could be imagined where an individual with a terminal illness might want to commit suicide "not simply to avoid pain, but also to avoid the certain deterioration of his mental...
This is similar to the situation of the king, but more significant because this person would be seeking to avoid becoming a non-rational being. As such, he or she could no longer function as moral being or trust their own subsequent actions. Doubtlessly, such a situation could case harm to the individual or to others, and may even violate the categorical imperative.
Kant and Rousseau Reducing Conflicts Between States The Theories of the Great Philosophers Rousseau and Kant The great philosophers of the 18th century were the first of their kind to fully encapsulate what it meant to be an ethnocentric state, rather than a simple nation or territory, and also were the first philosophers able to address the question of war between states as not merely individual struggles for dominance, but rather persistent frictions
Rousseau offers a mix of philosophical notions of liberty with advice and opinions on how to structure a government that promotes equality and liberty, but not excessively so, that the will of the majority or strong overcomes the will or the rights of the minority. as, unlike the founders of America, Rousseau was not concerned with a real, live, specific historical situation he could to some extent afford to be
Kant Morals Kant focused on presenting the idea of good as being a concept that should not be defined by relating to a series of attitudes and behaviors that some communities are likely to identify as good. Instead, he attempted to show morality in its entirety as the only good thing and as being strongly related to good will. Even with the fact that he emphasizes occasions in which people can
It is feasible, perhaps, that someone could hold the principle that he should always act rationally but also believe that this rationality should act towards maximizing their individual base pleasures. Clearly, this could be carried out at the expense of other rational beings. This would violate Kant's universal laws of morality because it would reject the elevated nature of humanity in general. At the same time, if this person
Mill, Kant, Religion, And Gay Marriage In theory, freedom and liberty for all appears to be an excellent concept, one which nearly everyone would embrace. However, the practice of this ideology is not always as halcyon as its theoretical mandate. Quite frequently, it is possible for there to be conflicts of interests presented due to the notion that everyone feels entitled to pursue that which he or she wishes. There are
6. Now we will try to explain the Problem of Indiscernible Counterparts posed by Andy Warhol's "Brillo Boxes" (1964). What does this problem have to do with the question "What is art?" In addition we will try to understand how does Danto's appeal to "the art world" address this problem? The Brillo Boxes are a piece of art which Warhol created in the sixties as part of his attempt to make
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