Kant’s Deontology

First listen to these two lectures carefully. You need to be patient with Kant, as his writing is a bit abstract. Remember when he talks about “maxims” it is your personal will and when he talks about the a priori (=before experience, innate, wired in) Law of reason, he does NOT mean social-legal laws, but the wired in LAW of REASON.

All major religions including indigenous religions: Lao-Tzu, Confucius, Upanishads and Vedas, Buddhism, Religions of the Book, and philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Kant hold that we should NOT do good for the personal gain but for its effect on our internal disposition, the disposition and harmony of our soul/body, and good consequences will or may also follow. Unlike utilitarianism, for them our internal disposition is more important than external achievements.

After listening to the lectures above and reflecting on the above passage about different religions’ and philosophers’ rejection of “consequentialism”, open a thread and write a reflection on the following questions, no less than 400 words:

1) Do you think consequences (maximizing pleasure for the most, yourself included) is more important than our internal disposition (yourself included)? If you had only two options and were to choose, which one would you choose, maximizing pleasure for the most, or best internal disposition and good will for the most?

2) Imagine that you could go inside the Room of Wishes and the Room doesn’t give you what you think you want, but what your internal disposition asks for. For example, you may go inside the Room and wish the Room saves your sick mom, but the Room would give you millions of dollars instead, if your internal disposition wishes money more than your mom’s health. Are you ready NOW to enter the Room? Why or why not? Do you see any relation between this thought experiment and Kant’s notion of good will?

If you wish to achieve any consequence through the Room of Wishes, what should you do? Who should you be? What should be the relation between your internal disposition and the consequence you want to achieve?