[lit-ideas] Re: The meaning of life

  • From: wokshevs@xxxxxx
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Donal McEvoy <donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2008 18:23:39 -0330

I think the insight that descended upon Kant (and subsequently disappeared,
alas) was that moral wrong is essentially a matter of acting on a maxim that
could be successful in attaining its posited end only if (all) others did not
act on that same maxim. The immoral agent relies on others to provide him with
the conditions necessary for the successful attainment of her end, and yet she
herself contradicts that condition by acting in violation of it. (In sneaking
on to the Tunnell of Love ride at the amusement park without paying, you rely
on others not to do so. If everybody snuck onto the ride without paying, there
wouldn't be a ride for you to sneak onto. The success of your end as posited in
your maxim relies on others not acting on that same maxim. Enron CEOs  beware!
We know our Kant. 

Walter O
MUN



Quoting Donal McEvoy <donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx>:

>  
> > --- On Thu, 12/4/08, wokshevs@xxxxxx
> > <wokshevs@xxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> > Yes, that sounds right. Kant finds all three forms of
> > contradiction to yield
> > non-universalizable maxims, maxims we have an obligation
> > not to will or act
> > upon. 
> 
> Though Omar uses the expression "logical contradiction" to apply to the first
> form, it is unclear to me that any of the three involve any kind of logical
> contradiction in the way, for example, 'a' and 'non-a'logically contradict -
> that is, they cannot both be true. But it can be true that I deviate in my
> action from my own maxims etc.
> 
> Donal
> Hope I'm not contradicting myself
> London
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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