Kant's Compass

Author: Sobel J.H.

Source: Erkenntnis, Volume 46, Number 3, May 1997 , pp. 365-392(28)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

Can I will that my maxim becomes a universal law? . . .It would be easy to show how common human reason, with this compass, knows well how to distinguish . . . what is consistent or inconsistent with duty. (Kant, Foundations, 403–4)

How exactly is this compass to work? Cases bring out connected difficulties to do, (1), with whether `social contexts' are to be in or out of descriptions of actions maxims would have agents do – for example, `disarming alone' and `voting when enough others would even if one did not', or `disarming' and `voting' simply; and, (2), with a seldom noticed ambiguity of `everyone's acting in accordance with a maxim' and `a maxim's becoming universal law'. The paper argues dilemmatically for the inadequacy of Kant's test for maxims consistent with duty whatever policy for social contexts and manner of maxims becoming universal laws it is said to invoke.

Language: English

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: Department of Philosophy University of Toronto, 215 Huron Street Toronto, Ontario Canada M5s 1a2

Publication date: 1997-05-01