Study Guide Questions for Kant’s Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals

Instructions:

·         You are permitted to use your copy of Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals.

·         Remember to answer every question and every part of every question.

·         Use material from the text to answer the questions and to demonstrate your familiarity with the relevant sections.

·         Include material from class discussion.

·         Demonstrate that you have "thought about the material."

·         Use the relevant vocabulary.

·         Be as thorough as possible.

·         Do not use the words ‘also’ or ‘very’.

·         Do not begin sentences with the words ‘and’ or ‘but’.

·         Do not use the phrases ‘I think’, ‘I feel’, or ‘I believe’.

The exam questions will be taken from the questions below.

Study guide questions for the Preface:

·    What distinguishes ethics from physics?

·    What distinguishes the two parts of ethics from one another (i.e., what part is called morality, from what does it differ, and how does it differ?)

·    How should morality be studied?

·    What is the ultimate purpose of Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals?

Study guide questions for the First Section:  

·    What is the sole intrinsic good? How does Kant defend his answer?

·    How does Kant arrive at the supreme principle of morality (i.e., what is his argument)?

·    In general, be able to explain the meaning and role of terms such as duty, maxim, and moral law.

·    It is never morally permissible to lie. Discuss.

Study guide questions for the Second Section:

·    What is the difference between a perfect will and an imperfect will? Why is this relevant to moral theory?

·    Why is it useful for us to do the philosophical work of moral theory?

·    What are imperatives, and what are the three different types of imperatives? How do they differ from one another? Which is the concern of

     morality?

·    What is the universal law formula of the categorical imperative, and how does Kant arrive at it?

·    What is the end-in-itself formula of the categorical imperative?

·    What are the differences between perfect and imperfect duties, and between duties to oneself and duties to others? Be able to give examples of     

     each.