acting on principle onora o neill has written extensively on ethics and political philosophy

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1 acting on principle Two things, wrote Kant, fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe: the starry heavens above and the moral law within. Many would argue that since Kant s day the study of the starry heavens has advanced while ethics has stagnated, and in particular that Kant s ethics offers an empty formalism that tells us nothing about how we should live. In Acting on Principle Onora O Neill shows that Kantian ethics has practical as well as philosophical importance. First published in 1975, the book is regarded as a classic account and defence of the Kantian ethical position. It addresses Kant s account of reasoning about action, in particular his controversial claim that the Categorical Imperative guides action and is basic to ethics and justice. This second edition offers a substantial new introduction and updated bibliography, and will be valuable for a wide readership in Kant studies and those studying ethics. onora o neill has written extensively on ethics and political philosophy and in particular on Kant. Recent books include A Question of Trust: The BBC Reith Lectures 2002 (Cambridge, 2002), Autonomy and Trust in Bioethics (2002) and Rethinking Informed Consent in Bioethics (with Neil Manson, 2007). She is a cross-bench member of the House of Lords.

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3 ACTING ON PRINCIPLE An Essay on Kantian Ethics Second Edition ONORA O NEILL

4 University Printing House, Cambridge cb2 8bs, United Kingdom Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge. It furthers the University s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. Information on this title: / c Onora O Neill 2013 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2013 Printed in the United Kingdom by CPI Group Ltd, Croydon cr0 4yy A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data O Neill, Onora, 1941 Acting on principle : an essay on Kantian ethics / Onora O Neill. Second edition. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn (hardback) 1. Kant, Immanuel, Ethics. I. Title. b2799.e dc isbn Hardback isbn Paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

5 Contents Introduction to the second edition page 1 i Empty formalism and modern moral philosophy 1 ii Cautiously back to Kant 4 iii Principles and acts 9 iv Maxims 13 v Duties first 16 vi Instrumental rationality and universalism 21 vii Contradictions in conception, contradictions in the will 26 viii Beyond principles 27 ix Upstream and downstream 29 x Philosophical landmarks 36 Preface to the original edition 39 1 Principles of action 42 i Formality and fertility 42 ii Moral principles and morally acceptable principles 44 iii The structure of practical principles 47 2 The problem of relevant act descriptions 60 i Principles and acts 60 ii Two recent universality tests 63 v

6 vi Contents 3 A solution to the problem of relevant descriptions 94 i Maxims, ends and intentions 97 4 Ethical categories 111 i Duties of justice 113 ii Duties of virtue 125 iii Conclusions Applying the Categorical Imperative 136 i Contradiction in conception 143 ii Contradiction in the will An assessment of Kant s ethical theory 194 i Kant and supererogation 194 ii The right and the good in Kant s ethical theory 198 iii Obligation and moral worth 206 iv Kant s theory of right action 223 v Kant s theory of morally worthy action Right decisions and assessments of right 246 i Contexts of action and contexts of assessment 247 ii Conflicting grounds of obligation 258 iii Assessments of right 266 Bibliographies 278 Index 289