Why Couldnt Kant Be A Utilitarian Essay - 3254 Words

Why Couldnt Kant Be A Utilitarian? ABSTRACT: In his essay Could Kant Have Been a Utilitarian?, R. M. Hare tries to show that Kants moral theory contains utilitarian elements and it can be properly asked if Kant could have been a utilitarian, though in fact he was not. I take seriously Hares challenge to the standard view because I find his reading on the whole reasonable enough to lead to a consistent interpretation of Kants moral philosophy. Still, I hardly believe that it is necessarily concluded from Hares reading that Kant could have been a utilitarian. In this paper, I will first show that Hares interpretation of treating a person as an end as treating a persons ends as our own is reasonable, and so is his reading of†¦show more content†¦Nevertheless I hardly believe that it is necessarily concluded from Hares reading that Kant could have been a utilitarian. This paper aims to show why Kant couldnt be a utilitarian despite the apparently utilitarian elements in his theory. I will seek the answer in Kants theory itself, not in the biographical matters like Kants Pietist background, which might be of interest in some other context. Hare begins his interpretation with one of the formulae of the Categorical Imperative known as the Formula of the End in Itself: Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end. He interprets this as prescribing that one should treat other persons ends as ones own ends, which is the same as the utilitarian prescription that one should do what will conduce to satisfying peoples rational preferences or wills-for-ends. Hare notes that this formula conforms to Benthams injunction Everybody to count for one, nobody for more than one. In my view, this is the most reasonable interpretation of Kants illustrations of the duty to others in Grundlegung. I put the same point as follows. The status of a person as an end in itself consists in being capable of setting and pursuing his/her own ends. (2) This capacity is essential to the concept of the rational agency, as Kant writes: Rational natureShow MoreRelatedUtilitarian s Vs. Deontologists1593 Words   |  7 Pages Immanuel Kant, a deontologist, determined good will as the concept of a will â€Å"good in itself† without regard to anything else (Kant 528). He explains that if someone has good will, regardless if the outcome of their action failed to produce the outcome of their intentions, would â€Å"shine through like a jewel† (Kant 528). An example of three altruists can be used to explain how motivations determined good will. There was a sympathetic altruist, who engaged in charity and enjoyed it. Kant believed thatRead MoreEssay on Utilitarism2352 Words   |  10 Pagesprinciple of utility, undermines personal integrity. 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