‘Kantian ethics are helpful for moral decision-making in every kind of context.’ Discuss

 On one hand, I do not think that Kantian ethics is helpful with every decision. This is because all situations are different and are not the same so it cannot be universal. Kant’s theology was based on very ‘black and white terms’ this sort of phrase should be avoided as it’s not very clear what it means, he focused on the moral act of a situation and ignored the consequences that could be a result of that act. His theology also was based on the idea of Maxims. Maxims are moral rules that are determined by reason. He believed that everyone has reason and so if we all had reason then this makes us all the same, meaning that we all should be making the same moral decisions. An example of a maxim that Kant introduced was that ‘lying is wrong and we should focus on always telling the absolute truth.’ However, a flaw to this theory is when it is put into context, it contradicts itself. For example, the situation with the man and the axe. A murder with an axe in his hand has turned up to your house and he is asking you ‘where is your mother I am going to kill her?’ In this situation, Kant would say that you should tell the truth of where the mother is, regardless of the consequences (mother would die). I think that the maxims that Kant put in place aren’t specific enough to each situation because every situation is unique. Universal rules aren’t helpful in the real world because every situation is different. There are never two situations that are the same. Therefore, the theory should be relativist and not absolutist. Overall, I think that Kantian ethics should not be applied when making every moral decision because it doesn’t take into consideration the situation that the individual is in, therefore it isn’t universal because the rules are too set in stone.

Phew! We have a number of excellent points here but as a writing tactic it’s not a good idea ot have an opening paragraph that tries to say so much. Why not just say ‘there are three reasons why Kant’s ethics is unworkable. Then spell out the three reasons in a subsequent paragraph structure.

On the counter side, Kantian ethics is reliable in some circumstances. It relies on a system of rules which is very clear cut, meaning that everyone is aware of the obligations. Yes, but you need to show me how Kant produces the rule in the first place! By a priori reason.If you allowed everyone to break the rules, then the consequences of the legal system would be a mess. No one would know what they ought to do. For example, in order for everyone to do their duty, it must be able to be universalised. In other words, the individual has to think to themselves “can I apply this to all situations/ circumstances?” To put this in context, making a lying promise about loaning some money.  i.e. if you promise to take a loan of money out with the intention that you will not be able to pay the company back in the time that has been given, the promise contradicts the act of keeping a promise. Yes, technically he calls this a perfect duty because it is logically contradictory to break the rule of promising Kant would view this as it being morally wrong to make a lying promise and so would advise people not to take a loan out because one may not be able to guarantee that they can pay the company that leant the money back. This therefore supported Kant’s idea that lying contradicts itself. This is the obvious place for a paragraph break However, on the other hand others may argue that Kant’s theology is inflexible. It should be able to break an unhelpful rule if the individual circumstances mean that that is the right thing to do. For example, going back to talking about the example with making a lying promise. In some situations, a person may want to take out a loan and would be able to pay the money back and so they may not be able to because of universal moral laws that have been put in place which say that this is wrong. Therefore, I think that this is unrealistic because Kant asks us to follow maxims, but sometimes just because some people act in one way doesn’t mean that others will. Just like the person who will take out a loan even though they know that they will not be able to pay the money back. Overall, I think that Kantian ethics are helpful for moral decision-making in some contexts because it is so clear that a child could understand what they should and should not do . This means that no one can act in a selfish way and so would promote a happier environment.

This paragraph has some good analytical and evaluative points mixed in. however, the paragraph is still rather long.

Another strength in Kant’s theory that is helpful for moral decision-making is that his theory supports all equality and justice. In other words, Kant’s theory provides a basis for Human rights. In 1948, UN Declaration of Human rights was agreed by 48 countries and is the world’s most translated document, protecting humans around the globe. This means that the theory provides the foundations for modern conceptions of equality and justice and suggests that no one can be used for being a different race, culture or religion. It also suggests that everyone is of equal worth and that no one is of a higher value of another individual. This as a result would reduce the chances of social unsettlement and minimise the amount of prejudice that is happening in the modern day. However, this is not always the case. For example, in today’s world prejudice and discrimination is still happening in some countries even though there are moral laws in place which say that this is not acceptable. And so, even though there are laws in place, it doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone is going to abide by the rules. This therefore means that an unrealistically high standard is set which some people are not adhering to which was always going to be the case otherwise there would be no need for moral laws to be put in place. To conclude this, I still think that Kantian ethics is helpful for some moral decision-making but not in every kind of context. My reason for this I because not everyone makes moral decisions and it cannot be universalised because the rules are not universal in all situations and so it is unrealistic.

Plenty of good material here showing signs of the potential to be a top grade candidate. This candidate will be hitting A* when he or she learns to structure an argument more coherently, by separating points into a slightly more  logical structure of thought rather than trying to say everything at once. The opening and closing paragraphs need to be worked on – indeed – the idea of a paragraph itself doesn’t seem to be grasped. Underlying this there is an acute mind, however, and I particularly like the way different points are grounded in practical examples.  An exciting prospect!

Grade A potential but…

Total 30/40 75% B, almost A

AO1 13 marks

A very good demonstration of knowledge and understanding in response to the question:

 focuses on the precise question throughout

 very good selection of relevant material which is used appropriately

 accurate, and detailed knowledge which demonstrates very good understanding through either the breadth or depth of material used

 accurate and appropriate use of technical terms and subject vocabulary.

 a very good range of scholarly views, academic approaches, and/or sources of wisdom and authority are used to demonstrate knowledge and understanding

AO2 17 marks

A very good demonstration of analysis and evaluation in response to the question:

 clear argument which is mostly successful

 successful and clear analysis and evaluation

 views very well stated, coherently developed and justified

 answers the question set competently

 accurate and appropriate use of technical terms and subject vocabulary.

 a very good range of scholarly views, academic approaches and sources of wisdom and authority used to support analysis and evaluation

Assessment of Extended Response: There is a well–developed and sustained line of reasoning which is coherent, relevant and logically structured work on this a bit more