Utilitarianism, Universalization, Heteronomy and Necessity or Unkantian Ethics

Abstract

My main object in this paper will be to try to show that there is a large area of agreement between a Kantian ethical theory and the teleological ethical theories which, primarily in the Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals, he so strongly opposed. The manner in which I shall do this is by showing that Kant’s criticism of teleological theories in general does not apply to utilitarianism, the most influential teleological ethical theory. The reason for proceeding in this way is that Kant himself seldom if ever says anything about utilitarianism. It may be that he was not familiar with a sufficiently evolved form of utilitarianism for him clearly to have considered it.