The scientific revolution, spanning the 16th to 18th centuries, witnessed groundbreaking discoveries and radical ideas that fundamentally altered humanity’s understanding of the universe. Two key figures stand out in this…
Does the End justify the Means? From the philosophical theories of Niccolò Machiavelli and Immanuel Kant to the concept of utilitarianism, we explore various perspectives of this ethical conundrum.
In the 18th century, Europe was in a state of constant flux. The age of enlightenment was in full swing and new ideas about reason, science, and progress were taking…
“God is dead”, Zarathustra said in Nietzsche’s Thus Spake Zarathustra, “and we have killed him.” Morality had been the domain of religion for centuries and millennia, until now.
One way in which utilitarianism differs from Kantian deontology is in its view of intention and consequences. We covered this in ‘Utilitarianism: Going for the best outcome.’ A follow-up question…
Kant distinguishes between two types of imperatives, or moral guides. Hypothetical imperatives tell us how to act in order to achieve a specific goal; they are related to actions based…
With modernity, as respect for science grew, so did the idea that the scientific model could be used in areas other than science. Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) wanted to…