Reviewing Kant's Theory of Ethical Duty

In this essay I will discuss some of the work done by Immanuel Kant. I will explain Kant's general criticism of Bentham and Baumgarten ethical theories. Second I am going to defining how Kant distinguishes between autonomy and heteronomy. Next I will explain Kant's formulation of the "categorical imperative." Finally I will close with how adherence to the categorical imperative provides for autonomous ethical choice.

One theory that Kant makes a few comments about is that of Jeremy Bentham, which is known as retributivism. This theory states that all punishment is evil. Kant says that people who do something wrong deserve punishment. He thinks by punishing them we are paying them back for what they have done. Kant also says that punishment is justified even if it increases the sum total of misery over happiness in the world.

Another theory that Kant has a different view on is that Baumgarten. Baumgarten says that God is the legislator and author of all natural obligations, because he is the author of the world. Kant believed that a categorical command must lie in the nature of things, not in God. I think that when talking about author and legislator, they are referring to the author as the one who makes the laws and the legislator as the one who declares them.

Autonomy and heteronomy are two completely different types of free will. Autonomy is "the freedom to act independently of any external rule of authority. IN Kant's ethical theory, autonomy of action is a necessary condition for moral choice." (Pence 2000) "For Kant, heteronomy is the opposite of autonomy. Whereas an autonomous person is one whose will is self-determined, a heteronymous person is one whose will is determined by something outside of the person, such as overwhelming emotions. Etymologically, heteronomy goes back to the Greek words for "other" and "law.""(Hinman 1994)