A ética do dever em Immanuel Kant: uma reflexão sobre o ser humano

Abstract

The theme of this monograph is The Ethics of Duty in Immanuel Kant: a reflection on the human being. The problem addressed lies in articulating the empirical study of the human being in the context of Immanuel Kant's ethics of duty, since this philosopher considers the study of the human being as a form of applied moral philosophy. Thus, morality and the empirical study of the human being seem to go hand in hand. Thus, the monograph raises the following research question: in what way can Kant's ethics of duty help us in the empirical investigation of human nature? The monograph's general objective is to reflect on human nature through Immanuel Kant's ethics of duty. The specific objectives are: (i) to contextualize Kant's ethical thought within the scope of the study of man; (ii) to discuss the philosophical foundations of Kant's ethics of duty; and (iii) to debate the study of human nature in the context of Kant's ethics. The motivation for writing this monograph lies in the need to understand how the study of man is shaped by Kantian ethics, especially after the conclusions that Kant reached with the first critique. The thesis of this monograph indicates that Kant's ethics of duty emphasizes the importance of autonomy, equality and good will in understanding human nature. By privileging practical reason, universal moral principles and the unconditionality of categorical imperatives, the Kantian approach seeks to transcend empirical contingencies, offering a perspective that does not consider specific qualities of certain human beings, but of man in general. The methodology used was a bibliographic review, with the help of hermeneutic techniques and textual comparison. The monograph is divided into three chapters. The first contextualizes Kant's ethical and philosophical thought. The second discusses the foundations of Kantian ethics. And the third debate is about the way in which ethics is indispensable for the empirical study of human nature – called pragmatic anthropology or applied moral philosophy.(TRADUÇAO NOSSA)