Abortion

How useful is Kantian ethics when discussing an issue like abortion? Is it easily applicable in real life situations and does it leave any room for meaningful discussion on the issue?

Comments

To talk about Kantian ethics is an example of a new kind of relativism, as if there were many and varied kinds of ethics: Kantian ethics, consequentialist ethics, virtue ethics, contractualist ethics etc. Kantians, consequentialists, virtue ethicists, and contractualists should not be thought of as presenting alternative moral systems or guides, but rather as attempts to justify or show the lack of justification of our common moral guide. It is a sign of confusion to think that what they say should be used to settle real life situations. Further, most of these philosophical theories assume or claim that there is only one correct answer to every moral question, including controversial questions like those involved with abortion. But none of them provides any argument showing that there is not sometimes unresolvable moral disagreement concerning controversial moral questions.

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