Kant was a highly influential German philosopher from the 18th century. He grew up in Prussia and had a strict upbringing, excelling in school from a young age. After his father's death, he worked as a tutor for many years before returning to university to teach for over 15 years. Kant developed groundbreaking works in epistemology, ethics, and metaphysics. Though controversial for his unconventional religious views, he was considered one of the greatest modern philosophers. Kant lived a regimented life dedicated to his work until his death in 1804 at age 79 from a degenerative illness.
2. Introduction
Kant was a German
philosopher whose
systematic work on
epistemology and ethics
influenced philosophy and
several idealism and
Kantianism ways of
thinking. He was one of the
greatest philosophers of
all time.
6. Teoria Ética
An action is good or it has moral worth when
The agent has the intention of fulfilling duty
for the duty’s sake.
Agent
action
Intentions
7. Actions contrary to
duty
Actions in
accordance to duty
Duty-based Actions
Actions that don’t
respect duty and that
are absolutely and
morally wrong.
Actions that are
according with what
we should do but
internally influenced
by other reasons,
therefore loosing
their genuine moral
value.
Actions in which
duty fulfillment is
an end by itself.
Acting correctly is
the only reason
underlying an
action.
Types of Actions
8.
9. Imperative
Moral law according to Kant
What it is What it isn’t
A categorical imperative
- Commands that duty should be
fulfilled for the duty’s sake. In other
words, the categorical imperative
commands that a will should fulfill
duty, only driven by doing what is
right.
- Commands that we should be
impartial;
A hypothetical imperative
- The fulfillment of duty is an order
conditioned by the satisfactory things
that may come out of it.
- Actions based on this imperative are
actions in accordance to duty.
- The actions that fulfill the duty based
on secondary interests are according to
maxims that can not be universalized.
10. Categorical Imperative
Formula of Universal Law
“Act only according to a maxim which you
may want at the same time to become
an universal law”
Formula of Humanity
“Act insomuch you use humanity every time
and simultaneously as an end and never
only as a mean.”
11. Autonomy vs Heteronomy
An autonomous will is
a good will when the
duty for the duty’s sake
is accomplished,
obeying to reason and
ignoring external
factors.
A heteronymous will is
not a good will because
it doesn’t fulfill duty for
the duty’s sake,
submitting itself to
factors other than
reason.
12. Good Will
acts in a morally correct way;
acts according to universalizable maxims;
everyone can act according to them;
complies with duty;
it’s autonomous.
13. Legality e Morality
The moral worth of an action is in the intention.
Therefore arises a need to distinguish morality from
legality.
If morality characterizes duty-based actions, legality
characterizes actions in accordance to duty, that may
have been made for selfish purposes.
According to Kant, it’s the respect for the moral law
and the feeling of duty that should drive us to act.
14. Critique
• Moral rules aren’t
absolute;
• There are situations
of conflict;
• Freedom;
• Diversity of objects;
• Diversity of
subjects;
• Alterity.
16. Books
Response to the Question: What
is Enlightenment?
Critique of Judgment;
Critique of Practical Reason.;
Critique of Pure Reason;
Fundamental Principles of the
Metaphysics of Morals;
Metaphysical Foundations of
Natural Science;
Universal Natural History and
Theory of the Heavens.
17. Quotes
You don´t teach philosophy;
you teach how to philosophize.
Remember to
forget.
Sometimes people
don’t want to hear
the truth because
they don’t want
their illusions
destroyed.
Voltaire said that heaven had
given us two things to balance
the numerous disgraces of life:
hope and dream. He could
have added laughter.
18.
19.
20. K – Kant
J – Journalist
K: Hi. My name is Immanuel Kant and I’m with no make up, in High Definition. I like pears, but I don’t like “pear pressure”. I
like walking. I like my family, my dog (although I don’t have one). I like rock and I don’t like classical music. I like ice cream. I
like people that are morally right and with good intentions. I hate Stuart Mill and I don’t care about the consequences of my
actions.
J: Well… Let’s start with asking how was your childhood?
K: Is this the part when I start crying? In this show people always cry.
J: It’s up to you, I guess…
K: Ok, I’ll cry later. What was the question?
J: How was you childhood?
K: Well… I was born in the 22nd of April, 1724 in Prussia, in a little village that I can’t pronouce and I was the 4th son so when
I was born my brothers tried to drown me because I was always stealing the spotlight. I have always lived according to a
very strict, rough and punitive education. I would always get up arround 5 a.m. whether it was Summer or Winter and I
would always go to sleep at 10 p.m. sharp.
J: With a such a timed and rigorous personal life, I assume that your school life must have been also like that.
K: Yes, yes, I’ve always bee good with the school stuff and I was always a good student and I entered the Fredericianum High
School when I was 8 where I learned classicism and at the age of 16 I joined the Königsberg College where I first took
intetrest in philosophy but also in math and physics, with the help of my teacher. I started reading about Isaac Newton and I
wrote my first book: “Thoughts on the True Estimation of Living Forces ". I was there until I was 21.
21. J: Why did you abandoned it?
K: Because… I intended to continue my studies but, unfortunately, my dad died and that had a great impact on me.
J: How were you parents like?
K: My mother Regina was a great woman, admired by her personality and natural intelligence despite her lack of education.
And my father Johanne worked with leather and made saddles, always working. He was a big influence to me and that is
why it killed me so much when he died and I started working as a tutor and I did that for 9 years. That allowed me to be in
touch with society.
J: After that have you never end your education?
K: No, with the help of my b.f.f. I was able to graduate the following year.
J: And then what?
K: Then I stayed at the university for 15 years, teaching math and physics.
J: But I know you didn’t only teach that. You gradually also taught metaphysics, logic, moral philosophy and you even taught
firework and fortifications… That attracted several students, right?
K: Yeah. Not to blow my own horn but everyone loved me, my theses, books and ideas. Yeah, for them I was Super Kant.
J: What kept you from carrying on?
K: Oh! I had very unorthodox ideas about religion and I lived in a very spoiler society and then there comes the King and the
dude tells me “Hey, bro, you Kan’t teach no more, OK?” but after 5 years he died and I came back.
J: I see… Well, there’s a thing that I don’t understand. It’s said that you’re dead.
K: Yeah, that’s true.
J: How?
K: Here I am, a 60 inch dude with deformed chest and of course my health declined. It was very painful for my friends but I
ended up dying on the 12th of February of 1804 of degenerative disease.
22. J: What? Ok, whatever… So, when you died, what were your last words?
K: This is good.
J: This is good?
K: This is good.
J: Why the hell?
K: I don’t know miss. I had taken lots of painkillers and I was messed up and I said this is good. It’s as of i did
a like on Facebook. Don’t you think?
J: Well, whatever. How does it feel to be considered the most infulential thinker of modern times?
K: It’s cool and all but I would rather be considered the most well paid philosopehr of all times or the one
with more swag. But it’s cool to have the attention and all the crazy fans.
J: What do you like to do with your free time?
K: I don’t know, that was not on Wikipedia
J: Ok… At last? What do your eyes say?
K: They say that even though I’m dead, I still have a lot to give and I want to fight and maybe become better.
The potato chips don’t fry until midnight and YOLO and LOL should be your motto for every day.
J: Thank you.
K: You’re welcome babe.
J: Get me out of here! This guy is nuts!