Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason: Metaphysics, Reason, and Morality
In this text, Kant sets out his proposal to solve a methodological problem that is the basis of metaphysics, aiming for it to become a science. He refers to traditional metaphysics, which handles concepts like God and the soul, which are outside all possible experience. Compared to other sciences like mathematics, Kant sees that the solution to the problem must be the imitation of metaphysics and a methodological turn, as both sciences have advanced since their revolutions in method. In this situation,
Read MoreEthics and Morality: A Comparative Study
Ethics and Morality
The Greek noun ethos means usual, from which derives the adjective Ethik, meaning relating to customs. Etymologically, ethics means the science of morals.
The Latin noun morem means usual, from which derives the adjective moralem, meaning relating to customs. The term morality means the science of morals.
From a strictly etymological point of view, both terms, ethics and morality, signify the same thing: the science of morals.
The current distinction between morality and ethics
Read MoreNietzsche’s Critique of Western Rationality and Modernity
Unmasking Western Complacency
Nietzsche’s philosophy critiques Western complacency, the belief in possessing the sole truth—a truth rooted in science, rationality, and universal laws. Nietzsche suspected that Western culture lived in a delusion, constructing an unreal world through the petrification of metaphors and concepts. This construction serves as a survival mechanism against the constant change, chaos, and ceaseless flow of reality, reminiscent of Heraclitus’s philosophy. The West, in
Read MoreNietzsche’s Philosophy: Key Concepts and Ideas
Nietzsche’s Key Concepts
Decadent
According to Nietzsche, this term refers to individuals unable to accept the reality of becoming. They cannot master their instincts and are drawn into chaos and destruction.
Devenir (Becoming)
Everything fixed is temporary. Reality is a continuous flow of events, always in motion, without substance or essence. It is a succession of moments, an infinite becoming, where each moment is both an arrival and a departure. The opposite of becoming is being.
Dionysus
The god
Read MoreEssential Questions on Ethics, Morality, and Human Motivation
1. The Inevitable Question
What should I do? An urgent reflection on the criteria that should guide our actions in life, as our existence differs from other creatures, requiring predefined goals.
2. The Good Life
The good life involves satisfying our desires intelligently, understanding our goals, and discerning between good and evil, being and responsibility.
3. Morality vs. Ethics
Morality concerns rules of conduct, while ethics deals with moral considerations. Cultural anthropology and sociology study
Read MoreJohn Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism and Freedom Concepts
Utilitarianism: John Stuart Mill
Utilitarianism is based on the principle articulated by Hutcheson: “The greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.” This is the utilitarian principle. Happiness is pleasure, and its opposite is pain. Thus, pleasure can also be understood as the absence of pain. The theory of morality of utilitarianism posits that the ultimate goal is to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. All desirable things are desirable for the pleasure inherent in them or as a means
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