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As you already know, Kant's ethical theory insists on the importance of universalization of your rules.

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Kant's categorical imperative invites you to create rules that can really be universalizable

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and that respect human dignity.

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Actually, both formulations of the categorical imperative are equivalent.

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Now, if you make rules that you can really want to be universalizable and that respect human dignity,

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you are using a procedural ethics, an ethics that insists on how you make the rules.

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This ethical theory is not consequentialist.

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This is extremely important.

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According to Kant, what is relevant in ethics is not the consequence of your action.

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What is relevant is the rule, the intention of your action.

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Then, there is a great contrast between Kant's theory and other theories such as, for example,

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Bill's utilitarianism. As you will remember, Bill insisted on the consequences of your actions.

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He thought that what is correct is what has good consequences, making people happy.

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For Kant, this is not correct. The important thing in ethics, for Kant, is not the consequences of

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your actions. The important thing is to do your duty. That is why we say that Kant's theory is

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deontological. Deontology is a word that comes from Greek and refers to duties and obligations.

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Kant thought that ethics is about doing what is your duty. Often, when we have to decide what to

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do, there is a conflict between what we really want to do, what we would like to do, what we

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feel like doing, and our obligation. For example, I would like to watch TV, but I know I have the

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duty to study. There is a conflict between what I must do and what I want. Kant thought this is the

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key point of morality, this conflict between what your inclination asks you to do and what your duty

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tells you to do. And the right thing for Kant is always to do your duty. So the important thing

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is not the consequence. The important thing is your obligation. Whenever you have this conflict,

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Kant says, do your duty.

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That is morally correct.

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And how do you know what is your duty?

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It's not that difficult.

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Your duty, Kant says, is to respect the categorical imperative,

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to follow norms that you can't really want to be universalizable,

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to follow rules that respect human dignity.

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Imagine, then, that you have to take a difficult decision that has bad consequences but that

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corresponds to your duty.

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What would Kant recommend you to do?

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In this situation, Kant thought that you must always do your duty, regardless of the consequences

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of your actions.

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Why?

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Because, Kant thought, you are responsible of your decision, you are responsible of doing

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your duty or breaking it, but you are not responsible of the consequences of your action.

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The consequences of your action go beyond your own capacity of decision.

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What is correct is to do what is your duty, and the rest is not depending on you.