Question

You want to help your brother overcome a life-threatening addiction to drugs. You know that you have a duty to help him because he is a member of your family. But your main motivation for helping him is that you love him and care what happens to him. Which of these two motivating factors would Kant approve of and which would he reject? How would the care ethicist differ from Kant?

Answer 1

According to Kant, an act can be considered moral only if it it motivated by universal principles of duty and reason. Here, if the sole reason for helping is emotional, then Kant does not consider it to be a moral act. Thus, helping because of love for the brother will be rejected by Kant. Care ethicist would focus on the context and relationship and may overrule universal rules. Thus, helping out of love for the brother would be considered ethicaln by a care ethicist.