1 The book we read in this unit is:
Correct. Our reading is the Groundwork for the Metaphysic of Morals (1785), Kant's short introduction to the foundations of his moral philosophy.
These are all real works by Kant, but this unit reads only one: the short book that lays the groundwork for his moral philosophy.
2 Kant argues that a genuine moral philosophy must be derived from:
Correct. Kant argues that moral philosophy must be grounded a priori, in pure reason. Moral law has to bind every rational being, so it cannot rest on contingent facts about human psychology.
Kant thinks moral law must hold with necessity for every rational being. Ask what kind of source could guarantee that, given that observation, feeling, and tradition all vary.
3 According to Kant, which of the following is the only thing that is good without qualification?
Correct. Kant opens the First Section by arguing that nothing can be called good without qualification except a good will. Talents and even happiness can become bad when the will using them is bad.
Kant notes that intelligence, courage, and even happiness can be put to bad uses. Ask what remains good no matter how circumstances turn out.
4 A shopkeeper who refuses to cheat customers because dishonesty would hurt business is, in Kant's terms:
Correct. The shopkeeper does what duty requires, but from self-interest. His action conforms to duty without being done from duty, so it has no moral worth on Kant's view.
Kant distinguishes acting in accordance with duty from acting from duty. Ask what actually motivates this shopkeeper's honesty.
5 Kant discusses a case of a person who is naturally cold and indifferent to others but who still helps them out of duty. Kant's view is that this person's helpful action:
Correct. For Kant, moral worth lies in the motive. The cold person who helps because it is their duty shows the good will more clearly than someone who helps because they enjoy it.
Kant locates moral worth in the motive, not in feeling. Ask what is moving the person who helps despite having no inclination to.
6 "If you want to be healthy, you should exercise." In Kant's terminology, this is an example of:
Correct. The command applies only if you want the end, here being healthy. That makes it a hypothetical imperative.
Notice the 'if.' Ask whether this command would still bind you if you did not care about being healthy.
7 According to Kant, the key difference between hypothetical and categorical imperatives is that:
Correct. Hypothetical imperatives depend on what you happen to want. The categorical imperative binds unconditionally, whatever your goals.
The difference is not about subject matter or legal enforcement. Ask whether the imperative depends on some end you happen to want.
8 For Kant, a maxim is:
Correct. A maxim is the subjective principle you are actually acting on, the 'when I am in situation S, I will do A in order to get E' behind an action.
In Kant's technical sense a maxim is not a proverb or a law. It is the principle behind a particular agent's action. Revisit the categorical imperative page for examples.
9 The universalization formulation of the categorical imperative holds that a maxim is morally permissible only if:
Correct. The universalization test asks whether you could consistently will your maxim to become a universal law that every rational being follows.
This formulation is a consistency test, not a calculation of consequences or an appeal to tradition. Ask what it means to will your maxim as a law for everyone.
10 The Humanity formulation of the categorical imperative tells us:
Correct. We may use others as means, as we do whenever we buy something. What we may never do is treat a person merely as a means, ignoring their status as a rational end in themselves.
Notice the word 'merely.' Kant does not forbid all use of others. Ask what he says we must also always do.