Persons and Things It is 3:00 a.m., and your college roommate asks you why you are up late pondering moral dilemmas involving runaway trolleys. “To write a good paper in Ethics 101,” you reply. “But why write a good paper?” your roommate asks. “To get a good grade.” “But why care about grades?” “To get a job in investment banking.” “But why get a job in investment banking?” “To become a hedge fund manager someday.” “But why be a hedge fund manager?” “To make a lot of money.” “But why make a lot of money?” “To eat lobster often, which I like. I am, after all, a sentient crea- ture. That’s why I’m up late thinking about runaway trolleys!” This is an example of what Kant would call heteronomous determi- nation—doing something for the sake of something else, for the sake of something else, and so on. When we act heteronomously, we act for the sake of ends given outside us. We are instruments, not authors, of the purposes we pursue.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 04:42:11 +0000