Immanuel Kant and Thomas Hill Jr Oppression amp Justice Fall 2013 Laura GuidryGrimes Immanuel Kant on Virtue 17241804 East Prussia Background Kantian Ethical Theory Human reason as source of knowledge concepts duty ID: 399474
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The Role & Responsibilities of Bystanders
Immanuel Kant and Thomas Hill, Jr.
Oppression & Justice (Fall 2013)
Laura Guidry-GrimesSlide2
Immanuel Kant on Virtue
1724-1804 , East PrussiaSlide3
Background: Kantian Ethical Theory
Human reason as source of knowledge, concepts, dutyWants to ground ethical duties in necessityshould not be grounded in contingencies of time, place, culture, experience, inclinations (desire, feeling)
Focuses on
motivation, rather than the quality of actions or consequences
An action must be done from duty to have moral worthSlide4
On Being Properly Motivated
Natural receptivity towards moral dutyMoral feeling : pleasure/displeasure in acting from dutyConscience : presents duty for acceptance/rejection
Love of fellows :
inclination to helping others in their ends
Respect : reverence for moral law
Should
cultivate
Should
sharpen
understanding of what duty requires
Should be produced through
practiced
beneficence
Should
recognize
why duty compels certain actionsSlide5
On Human Dignity
Rational beings have absolute worth in virtue of having capacity for reasonEnds in themselves; intrinsically valuable; not fungibleMust respect self and others
as moral equals
Servility?Forcing someone into servility?
Contrary to
fundamental
duties to self and others in ANY circumstances!Slide6
Beneficence& Sympathy
Duty to promote others’ happiness without demanding reciprocityShould be based on their notions of happiness (avoid unnecessary paternalism)Obligation matter of degreeThose with abundant means “should hardly even regard beneficence as a meritorious duty on his part” (DV §31)
Especially praiseworthy “when the benefactor’s means are limited” (ibid.)
Extreme
self-sacrifice violates duties to self “It is therefore a duty not to avoid the places where the poor who lack the most basic necessities are to be found but rather to seek them out, and not to shun sickrooms or debtors’ prisons” (DV §35)Slide7
Discussion Questions
What are some specific ways that you can make yourself more sensitive to, perceptive of, or accepting of your moral obligations?Are there circumstances where we should not judge someone too harshly for being servile?
What if someone appears naturally servile or seems to take pleasure in being another’s lackey?
Do you agree that highly privileged individuals have a stronger and wider duty of beneficence than others?Slide8
Thomas Hill, Jr. on Bystanders
Contemporary Neo-KantianSlide9
Types of Responsibility
Backward-lookingAssigning praise or blameMatter of degreeDepends on ability to do otherwiseForward-lookingPreventative
Relative to one’s social/political/economic position
“What is the range of things that it is my moral job
, as it were, to take charge of—to promote and to protect, or when necessary, to fix or reform?” (30)Slide10
Calling All Bystanders
Contribute to oppression despite beingWell-intentionedUnaware Positioned to accept forward-looking responsibilityHaving minimal to no causal connection to oppressionReasons for inaction…
Reluctance to challenge status quo
Risk aversionBlaming other people or systems
Hidden/masked oppressive forcesInaction of othersPressures to conform
Do some of these reasons seem better or more compelling than others?
Do some actually justify inaction?Slide11
Combating Oppression
First-order responsibility: “do what we can to oppose and eliminate oppression, by all morally legitimate means” (32)Second-order responsibilities: “what must we do to understand and implement
our primary responsibility” (32)
Apply to primary oppressors, bystanders, and victims to greater and lesser degrees
ContextualSlide12
Second-Order Responsibilities
Due care in moral deliberationMoral perception + sensitivity + coherence checksMoral self-scrutinyTake stock of and question motivations, reasoningLook for deception, misrepresentations, negligence, cognitive dissonance, moral distress
Develop moral virtue
Resist easy, passive path – develop strong will to do the right thingSlide13
Respecting Victims
“continuing to be a bystander when one can protest and do something about oppression would be to fail to respect its victims” (37)Also fail to respect ourselves as moral agentsAre you convinced that bystanders have all of these responsibilities?
How should we prioritize our obligations? For example, are you more responsible for oppression in the United States than in Bangladesh? Slide14
Questions? Comments?