Kant, Nietzsche, and Kierkegaard: Key Philosophical Concepts
1. Immanuel Kant: The 18th-Century Philosopher
What did Kant seek?
He sought a single moral universal without exception.
How do we apply the words "good" and "bad"?
They refer to the intention behind an action, not the action itself. For Kant, morality is defined by the intention.
What is Kant's formal ethics?
It is based on the motherland and your way. For Kant, the intention is paramount.
What is a hypothetical imperative?
These are moral laws that depend on conditions; they do not serve as true ethics.
What is a categorical imperative?
It is the moral law valid in all situations, independent of any conditions.
2. Duty and Moral Law
What is Kant's formulation of the categorical imperative?
"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law" (the duty for duty's sake).
- No liberty, no ethics.
- Immortality of the soul.
- God: The being that reconciles duty and happiness.
3. Nihilism and Voluntarism: Nietzsche
What does Nietzsche's voluntarism pursue?
His central concern is the future of civilization. He investigates the values of his time to form a new conception of human destiny.
What leads to universal evolution?
The universal chaos is an incoherent combat of forces, moved by the will to power.
What does life consist of?
It consists of the continuous dislocation of forces that oppose other forces.
What is the human soul?
It is a system of forces. There are two types of men: the powerful lonely man and the herd-like, mediocre man.
- Herd Morality: Mediocre and weak men who are incapable of living for themselves and need society. They defend uniformity, equality, humility, order, and charity.
- Übermensch (Overman): The powerful, lonely individual who lives for himself. He follows no rules, uses the herd, and is neither good nor charitable. He embodies the virtue of strength and rejects traditional moral values.
4. Existentialism: Kierkegaard
What is human life?
It is a passage bound by choices among different possibilities. We must decide what to do with our lives, as there are no clear rational reasons to choose one direction over another. For Kierkegaard, human existence is more important than reason.