Teaching and learning of Kant's formal ethics

Abstract

Despite these criticisms, Kant's formal ethics remains an important contribution to moral philosophy. Its emphasis on duty, autonomy, and universal moral law offers us a solid framework for thinking about how to live a morally meaningful life. Kant's Formal Ethics, also known as Kantian deontology, is based on the idea that actions are good or bad in themselves, regardless of their consequences. This theory focuses on duty and universal moral law and maintains that moral decisions should be made in accordance with rational principles that can be applied to all rational beings. Let's imagine that we are considering whether to lie to a friend to spare them emotional pain. This critical argumentative essay on teaching and learning Kant's formal ethics, lying is always wrong, even if our intentions are good. This is because lying violates the universal moral law of treating people as ends in themselves and not as means to our own ends. Lying, even with good intentions, uses the other person as a means to achieve our own goal of sparing them pain.