who is immanuel kant?
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Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is one of the most influential philosophers in the history of Western Philosophy, and he believed that actions such as murder, theft and lying should never occur, even if the action will bring about more happiness than the alternative. By being an opponent of utilitarianism, Kant believed that there was a supreme principle of morality, and he also believed in German Pietism, that mankind should attempt to do their best in situations, and let God control everything else. Additionally, he believed that all life is sacred, and that no matter what situation human beings are in, they should always perform actions which are morally correct, that abide by the laws, and that follow the principles of how to behave in this world. Kantians, philosophers who agree to Immanuel Kant's ideas, would most certainly disagree to ideas from a utilitarianist, because unlike performing actions for the greater good, Kantians would always 'follow the rules' in situations, for example they would not kill themselves in order to save a greater number of people, but let actions occur as if they were chosen by God.
would immanuel kant use ivf?
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Immanuel Kant believed that all embryos are human beings, and that babies should be produced the way God enabled us to reproduce. Therefore, by placing up to three embryos in a woman's womb by using IVF, you are, in short, killing the majority of the alive embryos, hoping that one will remain alive to develop into a baby. This means that Immanuel Kant would object to using IVF to create babies, because, you would be creating and then eliminating embryos which is not morally right. Furthermore, by using IVF you will not have reproduced in the way that God would have wanted humans to reproduce, because the sperm and egg would have been fused outside the body. Kant would believe that wee should reproduce the way God expects us too, as that is the way humans have been taught to reproduce, therefore meaning that we should not produce babies manually and outside the mother's womb.
However, would Immanuel Kant agree to a couple using IVF if they had taken a genetic test that showed they could have the potential to pass on a genetic disease to a child? Evidence for Kant agreeing to this is that he exclaimed, 'nothing in the world… can possibly be conceived which could be called good without qualification except a good will'. If this couple had the risk of producing a child with a disease such as cystic fibrosis via sexual intercourse, Immanuel Kant may agree to the couple using IVF, because if the couple produced a child that could have the risk of gaining a genetic disorder, the child would not have been conceived with the greatest possible amount of love the couple could have given him/her, meaning that because God expected new-born life to be created out of love and passion, IVF should be used to enable this to happen to the greatest extent, as therefore we would have reproduced in the way that God would have wanted us to reproduce. Additionally, IVF is available fore every couple to use, meaning that Kant may agree to this option because it does not discriminate against other people in our society.
On the contrary, Immanuel Kant would disagree to the use of IVF because in some cases, IVF allows you to choose the gender of the baby that is being produced. This is done by choosing the sperm specifically suited to the baby the parents would like to be produced, however Kant would object to this because he would believe that we should accept our children regardless of their gender, and therefore if we can choose the gender of our child before they are born, the parents may being to reject the child's flaws before their life has even begun. Embryos should not be created and implanted for the sole purpose of benefiting another human. Embryos are not products that can be accepted or rejected depending on whether or not they meet certain requirements. Using IVF to create babies violates against the natural purpose to reproduce, and objects to Kantian theories. Kant may regard IVF as ethically impermissible because it uses embryos as a means to an end. However if everyone had IVF, there would be millions of leftover embryos that would be discarded.
Therefore, to conclude, Immanuel Kant would agree to IVF because he believed that all children should be conceived purely out of the greatest love they can receive, and this would be reduced if a child was conceived naturally with a chance of them inheriting a genetic disorder. Kant would also use IVF because the option does not discriminate against other members of our society because it is available for everyone to use, however, Kant would object to the use of IVF because you would be creating and then destroying embryos which is not morally right because it is not in your power to perform this action, as only God has the right to provide and take away life from a substance. Furthermore, Kant would object to IVF because we should 'abide by the rules' and reproduce how God enabled us to reproduce, which is not performed by fusing an egg and sperm outside a lab. Lastly, Kant would object to IVF because humans should not be able to choose the specific gender of their children, as it defeats the purpose of creating strong bonds between the child and their parents.
However, would Immanuel Kant agree to a couple using IVF if they had taken a genetic test that showed they could have the potential to pass on a genetic disease to a child? Evidence for Kant agreeing to this is that he exclaimed, 'nothing in the world… can possibly be conceived which could be called good without qualification except a good will'. If this couple had the risk of producing a child with a disease such as cystic fibrosis via sexual intercourse, Immanuel Kant may agree to the couple using IVF, because if the couple produced a child that could have the risk of gaining a genetic disorder, the child would not have been conceived with the greatest possible amount of love the couple could have given him/her, meaning that because God expected new-born life to be created out of love and passion, IVF should be used to enable this to happen to the greatest extent, as therefore we would have reproduced in the way that God would have wanted us to reproduce. Additionally, IVF is available fore every couple to use, meaning that Kant may agree to this option because it does not discriminate against other people in our society.
On the contrary, Immanuel Kant would disagree to the use of IVF because in some cases, IVF allows you to choose the gender of the baby that is being produced. This is done by choosing the sperm specifically suited to the baby the parents would like to be produced, however Kant would object to this because he would believe that we should accept our children regardless of their gender, and therefore if we can choose the gender of our child before they are born, the parents may being to reject the child's flaws before their life has even begun. Embryos should not be created and implanted for the sole purpose of benefiting another human. Embryos are not products that can be accepted or rejected depending on whether or not they meet certain requirements. Using IVF to create babies violates against the natural purpose to reproduce, and objects to Kantian theories. Kant may regard IVF as ethically impermissible because it uses embryos as a means to an end. However if everyone had IVF, there would be millions of leftover embryos that would be discarded.
Therefore, to conclude, Immanuel Kant would agree to IVF because he believed that all children should be conceived purely out of the greatest love they can receive, and this would be reduced if a child was conceived naturally with a chance of them inheriting a genetic disorder. Kant would also use IVF because the option does not discriminate against other members of our society because it is available for everyone to use, however, Kant would object to the use of IVF because you would be creating and then destroying embryos which is not morally right because it is not in your power to perform this action, as only God has the right to provide and take away life from a substance. Furthermore, Kant would object to IVF because we should 'abide by the rules' and reproduce how God enabled us to reproduce, which is not performed by fusing an egg and sperm outside a lab. Lastly, Kant would object to IVF because humans should not be able to choose the specific gender of their children, as it defeats the purpose of creating strong bonds between the child and their parents.