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Kantian Ethics HELP?

Please could someone help my with moral statements?

A priori
A Posteori (if that's the correct spelling)
Analytic
Synthetic

What do they all mean?
How do they fit together?
How do they fit into Kant's theory?

Thank you to anyone who can help! :smile:
Original post by gingerlucy
Please could someone help my with moral statements?

A priori
A Posteori (if that's the correct spelling)
Analytic
Synthetic

What do they all mean?
How do they fit together?
How do they fit into Kant's theory?


Thank you to anyone who can help! :smile:


This probably isn't 100% right, but from what I can remember:

A priori = before experience
A posteriori = after experience
Analytic = knowable by definition
Synthetic = needs testing

For Kant, morality is a priori synthetic - it can be known before experience but needs testing using the categorical imperative.

Hope this helps, maybe someone can expand?
Reply 2
Original post by ohmyapplepie
This probably isn't 100% right, but from what I can remember:

A priori = before experience
A posteriori = after experience
Analytic = knowable by definition
Synthetic = needs testing

For Kant, morality is a priori synthetic - it can be known before experience but needs testing using the categorical imperative.

Hope this helps, maybe someone can expand?


That did help, thank you! I have also written in my notes that "moral statements are different to knowledge statements". Does this mean anything to you? I'm really bad at taking notes haha, so confused!
Original post by gingerlucy
That did help, thank you! I have also written in my notes that "moral statements are different to knowledge statements". Does this mean anything to you? I'm really bad at taking notes haha, so confused!


No, sorry! Could be something to do with that the fact that they are synthetic and need to be tested? I'm not sure though.
Should have said above that the reason morality can be known before experience or without experiencing them at all is due to reason.

Some examples might help?

A priori analytic = all bicycles have 2 wheels, all bachelors are men etc.
A posteriori synthetic = there is a cat under the car, the lightbulb does not work etc.

A priori synthetic = capital punishment is immoral

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