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Kristen WagstaffPhilosophy 1000-007April 28, 2016Teresa WelchCompare and Contrast: David Hume and Immanuel KantLet me first say, I struggled with this assignment. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know ancient philosophers throughout the course of this class. But if I had to rely on my understanding of the text alone, I’d be in trouble. So I will do my best to relay the information that I came understand about each of these philosophers, but if I’m way off base, I apologize in advance. I chose to compare and contrast Immanuel Kant and David Hume. Both men were philosophers who tried to define reason and human nature. Both men lived during the 1700’s. In this essay, I will present information on both men that have had a lasting impact on the Philosophical community and continue to do so. David Hume was born in Scotland to Presbyterian parents. His father died shortly after he was born, so Hume was raised by his mother under “strict Presbyterian regimen”. When he was 12 years old, he attended the University of Edinburgh, but only studied there for 3 years before dropping out. It is said he later “lost the faith of his childhood” and didn’t pursue any religious avenues. Hume was considered a skeptic, a person who demands clear, observable, undoubtable evidence, based on experience.Hume believed that “all ideas can be traced to impressions, and thus, are derived from experience, even if they become so abstracted and diluted that they no longer resemble any identifiable impressions”. His idea of self states that how we see ourselves is based on our perceptions and that we are, at all times, in some state of perception or another. Hume believed that reason “is a slave of the passions”. In essence, there are physical things we as human beings are “hard-wired” to find pleasurable and painful. We seek out the good and avoid the bad. This also applies to morality-that we have universally ingrained within us, the notion of things seen as “good” and “bad”. One example might be seeing someone get physically beaten by another person. Hume’s theory states that we have a universal sentiment ingrained in us to see that as something bad, just as helping a lost child find their parent is seen as something good. Hume’s theory is one that is described as the idea that morality is a sentiment, feeling, or passion that moves us to action. That, “passion tells us what needs to be done, and reason provides the tools for what needs to be done”. In contrast to Immanuel Kant’s theory, Hume;did not deny the reason plays a role in making moral judgments. Rather he argued that reason’s role is secondary to the role of moral feelings or sentiments, because reason can never provide ultimate ends (Soccio 306).In Archetypes of Wisdom, Hume’s theory says this:According to Hume, although reason has a useful role to play in moral discernment, moral judgments themselves ultimately rest on “some internal sense or feeling which nature has made universal in the whole species.” Reason helps us clarify experience. It helps us identify facts. It does not, however, evaluate them: “Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them.” (Soccio 306)Immanuel Kant was born in what was known as East Prussia, now known as Kaliningrad, Russia. His parents were devout Pietists, which was a religion that that stressed less formal standards of religion which “emphasized faith and repentance” and focused more on a personal relationship with God. At the age of 8, he was sent to a Pietist school where he received educational training. It is said that he later resented the theological view that was taught there of a vengeful and angry God. Although he didn’t remain a Pietist, he, in his later years, was respectful of his parents’ religion stating;Those in whom it was sincere were worthy of honor. They possessed the highest thing that man can have—the quiet, the content, the inner peace, which no suffering can disturb (Soccio 316).At 16, Kant attended the University of Konigsberg and studied there for 6 years. It is saidthat Kant’s life “was most noteworthy for not being noteworthy”. He lived a very regimented, scheduled life and it is said that townspeople would set their watches according to his activities. He went for a walk every day at 4:15 PM, only missing it once in his life when he became so engrossed in a book that he lost track of time. He was content staying close to home and never traveled more than 60 miles of his birthplace. He was poor; supporting himself as a private tutor, but later earned the equivalent of a doctorate degree and was hired as a professor of logic and metaphysics. He never married and died when he was 80.Now that we know a little about Kant, let’s talk about who Kant was. Immanuel Kant was most known for his study on ethics, which is the study of moral actions. Morals are customs and manners as to what people consider good or bad, right or wrong. He philosophized on the concepts of right and wrong and the best way for people to act. His moral philosophy consisted of asking questions such as, what actions are right? What actions are wrong? What makes an action right or wrong? Kant was a pessimist by nature and believed human kind is prone to corruption. He had the thought to replace religious authority with reason or, in other words, human intelligence. For Kant, according to Archetypes of Wisdom;morality is a function of reason. Specifically, morality is based on our consciousness of necessary and universal moral laws (or rules, as Kant calls them). Moral rules of behavior differ from other, pragmatic rules because moral rules alone have the quality of being thought of a universal and necessary, moral judgments must be a priori . This is why the empiricists could not discover them (Soccio 329).Kant goes on to theorize that “morality is absolutely necessary for human relationships”. David Hume, in contrast, dealt with the is/ought issue by denying that “ought” refers to any fact, [but it] seemed obvious to Kant that the very essence of moral judgments involves duty, what we ought to do (Soccio 329).Kant explores the notion of morality in terms of self-interest. Which brings about the question, is it less moral to do the right thing for the wrong reason? The textbook uses the examples of donating to charity to cut a tax bill and obeying God’s commandments so as not to go to hell. Kant’s theory states that “only when I do a thing solely because it is my duty do I have good will”. He says that “duty (which is the necessity of acting from respect for the moral law) does not serve our desires and preferences, but rather, overpowers them”. Kant is widely known for his theory of the Categorical Imperative, which says, “act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become universal law”, which, essentially is the Golden Rule; treat others how you would like to be treated. The categorical imperative is designed to “shift one’s thinking”, and help people to realize we have a moral duty to do the right thing, not because it will “yield a payoff”. According to Kant, our knowledge is formed by two things: our actual experiences and the mind’s faculties of judgment. If Kant is correct, then we cannot know reality as it is. We can know reality only as it is organized by human understanding (Soccio 324).In comparing the two philosophers, David Hume and Immanuel Kant, I came to understand that both men were born into very religious families but neither one remained a member of their parents faith. Hume was said to be agnostic, which means he took on the view that he “didn’t know enough to assert or deny the existence of a God”. Both entered Universities at young ages, although Hume didn’t continue his studies while Kant did and received a degree. Both had particular views on morality and sense of self. David Hume said we couldn’t have an actual sense of self while Immanuel Kant said that pure reason lends itself to the notion of self. Hume traveled around, living in places such as London and Paris, while Kant was content to stay close to the place of his birth. Kant lived a very ordinary life, while it seems Hume enjoyed entertainment and humor. He was said to be popular among women and even was accused on occasion of being the father of an unmarried woman’s child. In reference to their philosophies, they both had ideas on morality and moral judgments. Hume was more along the lines that we, as human beings, have it innately within us to seek out pleasurable things and avoid painful ones and that “morality is grounded in sentiment, not reason”, which Kant would refer to as a “scandal in philosophy”. Hume had the idea that “reason alone can never provide a motive for any action”. Kant, in contrast, felt that reason alone was enough to do “the right thing”. He asserted the “duty” we each have to one another. He believed that, as conscious, rational creatures, we each possess intrinsic worth, a special moral dignity that always deserves respect. And that in the kingdom of ends, everyone is an end in himself or herself, and no one is just a means to be used and tossed aside (Soccio 335). I love Kant’s view on morality and ethics. I would say I feel that Kant has the better philosophy. While I think David Hume has some valid arguments, I do believe we have a duty beyond sentiment or passion to inspire us to be moral individuals. The example I would liken it to would be to witness a small child drowning. I love children, and therefore my passion would move me to act and help that child. But what if I saw someone that I disliked drowning? Would I leave them to drown because I felt no good feelings toward them? I believe that I would have a duty to help save them regardless of how I felt about them as an individual. Although I’m not a great example of living the Golden Rule, I do believe our world would be better if we all lived more according to it’s concepts. Works CitedSoccio, Douglas J. Archetypes of Wisdom. 8th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. ................
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