Kant's Metaphysics of Morals Section 2 The Categorical Imperative
Explain Kant's tirade against making happiness or the good life the basis for ethics, explain carefully his arguments on pp. 27-28 and their relation to the Monkey's Paw and Pickle stories (to discuss in class).
Distinguish the self-contradiction test from the moral worth test. Can you pass the first without passing the second?
Explain all four examples of the categorical imperative test, (pp. 30-32) with the following in mind. Distinguish Kant's self-contradiction test from Grandma's Theory of "what if everybody did that"? Explain the difference between the perfect duties of examples 1 and 2, and the imperfect duties of 3 and 4 and show that both compel assent from a perfectly rational and free will.
What is the real pay off of the self-contradiction test? What does it reveal in us that opens up the secret of the ethical universe according to Kant?
THE Book: Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Ellington, trans. 3rd Edition (Hackett, 1993).