Ethics Thursday March 7,2002

Reason produces one result in moral deliberation/decision-making
example-conscientious Nazis are impossible if the Nazi really thinks about his acts
-criticism=Kant underestimates the influence of culture on moral beliefs

Moral action- reason winning out over selfish desire

Reason-----><-----Desire
(morality) (selfishness)

Hypothetical imparities don't apply if you don't have the relevant desire

Universal Law Formulation of the Moral Law(C.I.)
--can I imagine a world where everyone did it(followed the principle I am acting on)

If everyone stole, there would be no concept of property, so stealing would be impossible

If everyone murdered, nobody would be left alive, so murdering would be impossible

If everyone broke promises, no one would accept promises, they would be meaningless