Basic Introduction to Kant’s Moral Philosophy

Almost every ethics class in college will go over Immanuel Kant and his moral philosophy. Unfortunately, reading Kant can be quite difficult with his terminology and dense writing. Don't be fooled by the size of the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, it is packed and every sentence matters.
This video explores the preface of the book and Kant's essay "On the Supposed Right to Lie for Philanthropic Concerns." A big theme in both of these works is Kant's desire for universality. Metaphysics, for Kant, are based on a priori principles, not empiricism. Therefore he's looking for something necessary and universal, something that will be right regardless of time and space. A metaphysics of morals, therefore, would need to disconnect itself from empiricism and find it's grounding in a priori reasoning.
We see this importance of universality in the famous axe murderer thought experiment. If you hide a friend running away from an axe murderer, but that axe murderer comes to your house and asks you where your friend is, should you tell him the truth? For Kant, yes, universality means we can't be context dependent and allow for exceptions. Therefore, we must tell the truth, even when risking harm to ourself or others.
#philosophy #ethics #moral

Instagram: amygdalacomics
Donations: https://ko-fi.com/philosophytoons
Business Email: [email protected]