Would Kant Tell a Lie?
Stephen M. Clinton Address to the Evangelical Philosophical Society, 1985 Introduction This article will discuss three questions which arise in connection with the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant.1 1. Why is it wrong to lie? 2. How is the principle regarding lying derived from the categorical imperative (CI)? 3. Is it always wrong to lie? The second formulation of the CI is known as the End-in-Itself Formulation. • Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end. (GMM, p. 429) I. Discussion First, the use of the word “act” and the phrase “treat humanity” put us in actual moral situations. Kant is stating an ethical principle which will be applicable to specific moral choices. Second, he is concerned with “humanity” in persons (oneself or others). This will be important for the application of the principles. On a casual reading “humanity” refers to a set of object
