Date of Award
8-13-2019
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Philosophy
First Advisor
Eric Wilson
Second Advisor
Timothy O'Keefe
Abstract
Scholars have compared Joseph Butler and Immanuel Kant’s moral theories, claiming that they both center on the concept of autonomy. In this thesis, I argue that, despite this superficial similarity, they disagree about the core commitments of their conceptions of autonomy. Butlerian autonomy relies on inferring from the normative authority of conscience to the descriptive that human nature is adapted to virtue, and from this descriptive claim about human nature to moral obligation. Kant rejects these inferences, and therefore rejects the key components of Butlerian autonomy. Moreover, I argue that Kant’s rejection of Butler’s conception of human nature renders Butler’s stoic conception of virtue unavailable to Kant.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/14779449
Recommended Citation
Munroe, Samuel, "Kant and Joseph Butler on Autonomy, Moral Obligation, and Stoic Virtue." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2019.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/14779449
File Upload Confirmation
1