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Can Positive Duties be Derived from Kant's Formula of Universal Law?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2014

Samuel Kahn
Samuel Kahn*
Affiliation:
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Email: kahnsa@iupui.edu
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Abstract

According to the standard reading of Kant's formula of universal law (FUL), positive duties can be derived from FUL. In this article, I argue that the standard reading does not work. In the first section, I articulate FUL and what I mean by a positive duty. In the second section, I set out an intuitive version of the standard reading of FUL and argue that it does not work. In the third section, I set out a more rigorous version of the standard reading of FUL and argue that even this more rigorous version does not work.

Keywords

KantKantian ethicsKantian practical philosophyuniversalizability testsuniversalizabilityformula of universal lawobligations

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Type
Articles
Information
Kantian Review , Volume 19 , Issue 1 , March 2014 , pp. 93 - 108
Copyright
Copyright © Kantian Review 2014 

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