Study Questions

  1. What is the “motive of duty”? How does Kant think the motive of duty relates to moral worth? Why has his view been controversial?
  2. What objections does Herman raise to the idea that actions performed from entirely nonmoral motives can have moral worth? Do you find these objections convincing? Why or why not?
  3. What is Kant’s conception of motives and how does it differ from empiricist accounts of motives? What roles does Kant’s theory of motives in Herman’s argument?
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