Kant’s ethical theories and the dualistic concept of nature

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 원광대학교 원불교사상연구원
· 수록지 정보 : 원불교사상과 종교문화 / 48호 / 315 ~ 346페이지
· 저자명 : 이영숙

초록

As a thinking being, man has a spontaneous andpersistent desire to know the world he belongs to, i.e., Nature. What is Nature, then?How do people conceive of Nature? When we focus and reflect on how man relates himself to Nature, we see that there arise two different positions. One is to set managainst Nature or to draw a line of demarcation between man and Nature; the other is to count man as part of Nature or not to draw such a line. I shall call the former‘ the dualistic concept of Nature’and the people who hold such a view ‘dualists.’I shall call the latter‘ the monistic concept of Nature’and the people who hold such a view‘ monists.’Of these two concepts of Nature, which position does Kant take?Certainly, Kant takes a dualistic one. Kant asserts a value distinction between man and Nature and regard man as far superior to Nature because he believes in man’s distinctiveness, especially, in terms of reason. In other words, Kant emphasizes that man alone, in contrast to all other natural beings, possesses reason and that man’s existencealone can have an absolute worth in the entire chain of ends and means relationship.
Now, does one’s concept of Nature influence his/her practical experience of life? I think it does. One example of it may be ethical experience. Indeed, I believe that one’s ethical theories as well as his/her ethical experience are influenced by his/her concept of Nature.
I shall discuss in the first section the ethical theories Kant hold and ask how they are related to his dualistic concept of Nature. On the whole,Ishall focus on the following three issues. Firstly, I shall consider which ethical precept Kant adopts as between ‘follow your nature’and‘ overcome your nature,’and ask how this choice is related to his dualistic concept of Nature. Secondly, I shallexamine the view Kant takes concerning the relationship between virtue and happiness, and consider its connection with his dualistic concept of Nature. Thirdly, I shall consider his position concerning the claim to universal validity of ethical judgment and show how it is related to his dualistic concept of Nature. In the next section, I will consider the problems his ethical theories entail.

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