Topics Philosophers

Question Was there any recorded case of Kant exercising his ethics and perhaps being put in an awkward social situation (I will not lie, I do want to see Kant put in an awkward situation!)? In every day life, one must tell lies every now and then, and it is an accepted part of society (so I think). I find it really hard for Kant to exercise his ethics.

Accepted:
January 4, 2011

Comments

A case very similar to the one you imagine is found in Kant's writing. The case is so widespread in academic life that we can be pretty sure that Kant was speaking from experience.

An author comes up to you and asks: "How do you like my publication?". Well, you actually don't think much of it at all. So what to do? Kant considers that there may be some (perhaps humorous) way of avoiding a straight answer; but it must be found very quickly, because the author has his eyes firmly fixed on you and will be distraught at the slightest hesitation. So is it alright to mislead this poor author -- perhaps with adjectives such as "interesting", "amazing", "unexpected", "special", "solid", "painstaking", which, in his hunger for confirmation, he will understand as praise for the quality of his work? Is it alright to stretch words beyond ordinary vagueness, saying that it's a "good" book, or at least a "decent" one -- or that you "got a lot out of it" or "enjoyed reading it"? Kant doesn't answer his question. But this is significant. Had he been convinced that one must not lie to, or mislead, this poor author, then he would surely have said so.

The passage, by the way, is in Kant's Metaphysics of Morals, second book ("Doctrine of Virtue"), section 9 ("On Lying") near the end under the heading of "casuistical cases". The cases there at issue are "untruths solely for the sake of politeness." This label does not cover cases where the speaker is also motivated by personal gain (as when the author heads up a grant-making foundation). And this label presumably also does not cover a teacher's communications to her student, which ought not to be governed solely by politeness but rather ought prominently to include the end of developing the student's capacities. (Should the student turn out to be untalented in the relevant field, then the teacher has a responsibility to point this out so that the student can develop his capacities in some other directions.)