499 WE 1
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Elgin Community College *
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Course
110
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Apr 3, 2024
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3
Uploaded by ChefDanger10575
Writing Exercise #1
Paragraph 1: What is the primary goal of Kant's practical philosophy? Reference the
article(s) in parenthesis when you make claims about Kant's view (author, name of the
article, section, number of the paragraph).
The primary goal of Kant’s practical philosophy is to create a principle to guide people to
make moral decisions, in a world where the old system of moral decision making was dictated by
religion. For a historical context, Kant was a famous Enlightenment thinker. Before the
Enlightenment, Catholic Churches were the intellectual leaders of the world and had governed
laws of the state, and of morality. The Enlightenment period was a time when the western world
was freeing itself of its Catholic shackles, and autonomy was a new commodity for people. So,
Kant’s practical philosophy focuses heavily on autonomy, and finding a fundamental principle of
morality, (Rohlf, Michael, "Immanuel Kant", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Section
5.1, 2) which I interpret as a place to fill in the gaps where the Catholic state has left.
Kant calls the practical philosophy aspect of the categorical imperative “how the world
ought to be,” in that only we as autonomous people have moral duties and desire for happiness
which leads to thoughts of an ideal world, which is Kant’s highest good. (Rohlf, Michael,
"Immanuel Kant", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Section 5.1, 4). Kant’s goal of
practical philosophy is to leverage human autonomy to build a principle for people to follow for
moral decision making in a post-Catholic world.
Paragraph 2: What do you find attractive or suspect about Kant's approach?
What I find attractive about Kant’s categorical imperative is striving to practice thoughts
of creating an ideal world, which is his highest good. One approach, or law, of the categorical
imperative is to not use humans as a mere means, which is how O’Neill recounts a part of the
categorical imperative. (O’Neill, “A Simplified Account of Kant’s Ethics”, section 2, 1) This
means intention, consent, and honesty are naturally created values of the world. I would agree
that such values belong in an ideal world. The problem with enforced honesty as a law is that
there are certainly situations in which secrecy is a better alternative. For example, weapons and
energy research is kept secret from other countries for good reason.
Paragraph 3: Which of his practical philosophy writings would you most like to read?
What do you find most interesting about it?
I would most like to read “Perpetual Peace and Other Essays,” in which Kant presents his ideas
on the conditions necessary for lasting peace among nations. He proposes principles for a just
international order. And the collection of “other essays” covers a range of topics including
political philosophy, history, and ethics, reflecting Kant's broader philosophical interests. I would
like to learn more about history and international relations, as someone who’s family comes from
a third world country. I am interested in the grand scheme of the world and its moving parts, and
want to learn about philosophies that pertain to nations or society.
Paragraph 4: Given what you've read about Kant's practical philosophy, which research
question do you have at this early point in the semester?
I would like to inquire about how Kant’s practical philosophy is seen in the relationship of
modern america’s society. Namely, how people are generally treating eachother, how the
government treats its citizens, or how corporations treat consumers or workers. The flipside is
how Kant’s practical philosophy can be implemented into these relationships to enhance society
and strive to an ideal world.
Source:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant/#ThePraAut
https://laurenralpert.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/oneill-a-simplified-account-of-kants-ethic
s.pdf
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