Kant on Despondent Moral Failure

Typically, Kant describes maxims that violate the moral law as engaging in a kind of comparative judgement: the person who makes a false promise judges it best – at least subjectively – to deceive her friend. I argue that this is not the only possible account of moral failure for Kant. In particular...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Kantian review 2023-03, Vol.28 (1), p.125-141
Main Author: Moran, Kate
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Credibility
Kant, Immanuel (1724-1804)
Morality
Suicides & suicide attempts
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Summary:Typically, Kant describes maxims that violate the moral law as engaging in a kind of comparative judgement: the person who makes a false promise judges it best – at least subjectively – to deceive her friend. I argue that this is not the only possible account of moral failure for Kant. In particular, when we examine maxims of so-called despondency (Verzagtheit) we find that some maxims are resistant to comparative judgement. I argue that this is true for at least two reasons: first, the despondent agent has a maxim to avoid suffering at all costs; second, this anxious preoccupation with suffering makes the despondent agent prone to failures associated with the imagination and its role in creating an ideal of happiness.
ISSN:1369-4154
2044-2394
DOI:10.1017/S1369415422000498