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A Brief Note Of A Disagreement With John Harris On The Range Of Applicability Of The Kantian Imperative
Charles A. Erin*
* Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM
In this brief note, it is argued, contra Harris, that the so-called "Kantian imperative", is and should remain one of the fundamental principles of modern bioethical thought. It is agreed, with Harris, that in the loose and inaccurate way in which several authors have deployed Kant's second formulation of his Categorical Imperative, it can be unhelpful and misleading. However, if put to use with due care and attention to the way Kant phrased his formula, the intuitive force of the imperative can be seen to be consequent upon its crucially important role in moral reasoning, and its scope for application is far less limited that Harris contends.Keywords: Kantian imperative, Bioethics,
Moral reasoningT Klin J Med Ethics 1999, 7:17-21
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