KantianConstructivisminMoralTheory(1980)

Reflectiveequilibrium*

Twomoralpowers(ofpersonsasfreeandequal)

Higherorderinterests,conceptionofthegood

BasicStructure(politicallyneutral?)

OriginalPositionasmodelofrepresentationjustifiedthroughreflectiveequilibrium

LectureI:RationalandFullAutonomy

I.
WhatdistinguishestheKantianformofconstructivismisessentiallythis:itspecifiesaparticular
conceptionofthepersonasanelementinareasonableprocedureofconstruction,theoutcome
ofwhichdeterminesthecontentofthefirstprinciplesofjustice.

Thiskindofviewsetsupacertainprocedureofconstruction.Inthisprocedurepersons(as
rationalagentsofconstruction)specifythroughtheiragreementthefirstprinciplesofjustice.

InaKantianview,theconceptionoftheperson,theprocedure,andthefirstprinciplesmustbe
relatedinacertainmanner.

Socialroleofaconceptionofjustice:enablememberstomakemutuallyacceptabletoone
anothertheirsharedinstitutions,bycitingwhatarepubliclyrecognizedassufficientreasons,as
identifiedbythatconception.

Tosucceedindoingthis,aconceptionmustspecifyadmissiblesocialinstitutionsandtheir
possiblearrangementsintoonesystem,sothattheycanbejustifiedtoallcitizens,whatever
theirsocialpositionormoreparticularinterests.

howcanpeoplesettleonaconceptionofjustice,toservethissocialrole,thatis(most)
reasonablefortheminvirtueofhowtheyconceiveoftheirpersonsandconstruethegeneral
featuresofsocialcooperationamongpersonssoregarded?

AKantianconceptionasks:whichtraditionallyrecognizedprinciplesoffreedomandequality
wouldfreeandequalmoralpersonsthemselvesagreeupon,iftheywerefairlyrepresented
solelyassuchpersonsquacitizens?

BestimmterPersonenbegriffalsTeileinesvernnftigenKonstruktionsverfahrens.DasErgebnis
diesesKonstruktionsverfahrensbestimmtdenInhaltderoberstenGerechtigkeitsprinzipien.
D.h.:
EswirdeinKonstruktionsverfahreneingefhrt,dassbestimmtenAnforderungengengenmuss,
undinnerhalbdessenPersonen(dierationaleAkteurederKonstruktionsind)durchihre
bereinknftedieoberstenGerechtigkeitsprinzipienfestlegen.
DieAufgabedesKonstruktionsverfahrensistesdemnach,eineVerbindungherzustellen
zwischendemPersonenbegriffunddenGerechtigkeitsprinzipien.Begriff,Prinzipund
KonstruktionmssenalsoineinerbestimmtenArtundWeisemiteinanderverbundensein.
AufwelcheArtundWeisesinddiesedreiElementeineinerkantischenKonzeption
miteinanderverbunden?

II.

Wemustfindasuitablerenderingoffreedomandequality,andoftheirrelativepriority,rootedin
themorefundamentalnotionsofourpoliticallifeandcongenialtoourconceptionoftheperson.

Weneedtoconnectdefiniteprinciples(ofjustice)withacertainconceptionofthe(moral)
person.
Buthowarewetoachievethis?

JFformulatesmodelconceptions.Wethenreasonwithintheframework:
ThreemodelconceptionsinJF:
conceptionofawellorderedsociety(basic)
conceptionofamoralperson(basic)
conceptionoftheOP(mediating)

Thegeneralpurposeofc
wos
andc
mp
istosingleouttheessentialaspectsofourconceptionsof
ourselvesasmoralpersonsandofourrelationtosocietyasfreeandequalcitizens.

C
OP
istoestablishaconnectionbetweenc
mp
andtheprinciplesofjusticethatcharacterizethe
relationsofcitizensinc
wos
.Itservesthisrolebymodelingthewayinwhichthecitizensina
wellorderedsociety,viewedasmoralpersons,wouldideallyselectfirstprinciplesofjusticefor
theirsociety.

TheconstraintsimposedonthepartiesintheOParetorepresentthefreedomandequalityof
moralpersonsasunderstoodinsuchasociety.

Ifcertainprinciplesofjusticewouldindeedbeagreedto,thentheaimofKantian
constructivismtoconnectdefiniteprincipleswithaparticularconceptionofthepersonis
achieved.

PartiesintheOPasrationallyautonomousagentsofconstruction:
representtheaspectofrationality,whichispartofc
mp
affirmedbycitizensinawellordered
society.
rationalautonomyvs.fullautonomy
rationalautonomyisthatofthepartiesasagentsofconstruction
rationalautonomyroughlyparallelsKantsnotionofhypotheticalimperatives
fullautonomyisthatofcitizensineverydaylife(whoaffirmandactfromthefirstprinciplesof
justicethatwouldbeagreedto

Now,featuresofawellorderedsociety:
1.itseffectivelyregulatedbyapublicconceptionofjustice(i.e.acceptanceofthesame
principlesofjustice
thebasicstructureofsocietysatisfiestheseprinciples

2.themembersofawellorderedsocietyare(andseethemselvesas)freeandequalpersons
freedom,equalityandmoral

ByformulatingthemodelconceptionoftheOP,wemustviewthepartiesasselectingprinciples
ofjusticewhicharetoserveaseffectivepublicprinciplesofjusticeinawellorderedsociety,and
henceforsocialcooperationamongpersonswhoconceiveofthemselvesasfreeandequal
moralpersons.
DuetothisdescriptionimposingvariousconditionsonhowtheOPcanbesetup,inparticular
theconceptionofmoralpersonsasfreeandequal,andthedistinctionbetweenrationalandfull
autonomy,mustbeappropriatelyreflected.

III.
Weconjecturethatthefairnessofthecircumstancesunderwhichagreementreachedtransfers
totheprinciplesofjusticeagreedto.

Fairnessthroughveilofignorance

TheOPincorporatespureproceduraljusticeatthehighestlevelwhateverprinciplesare
selectedfromthelistarejust.TheoutcomeoftheOPdefinestheappropriateprinciplesof
justice.

Thiscontrastwithperfectproceduraljustice,wherethereisanindependentandalreadygiven
criterionofwhatisjust(orfair)andwhereaprocedureexiststoensurearesultthatsatisfiesthis
standard.

Inpureproceduraljusticenoindependentcriterionofjusticeexists.Whatisjustisdefinedbythe
outcomeoftheprocedureitself.

Theuseofpureproceduraljusticeimpliesthattheprinciplesofjusticethemselvesaretobe
constructedbyaprocessofdeliberation(carriedoutbythepartiesintheOP).Thepartiesare
notboundbyanyantecedentlygivenprinciplesofrightandjustice,i.e.thereexistsnostandpoint
externaltothepartiesownperspective.

Limitationsofthediscussion:basicstructureofonesocietyasaclosedandselfsufficient
systemofcooperation.

IntheirdeliberationsthepartiesintheOParetodecideastheprinciplesofrationalitydictate,
giventheirsituation.

Inthissense,thetermautonomyasappliedtothepartiesintheOPdependsonwhattheir
interestsareandonthenatureofconstraintstowhichtheyaresubject.(IV.)

Metaethik:

Kognitivismus:

moralischeAussagenhabenUrteilscharakter,sindwahrheitsfhig,habenmoralischeInhalte

vs.Realismus:

gehtdarberhinausvonderExistenzmoralischerTatsachenaus.Obeinekognivistische
PositionperseeinenRealismusimpliziert,istumstritten.

naturalistischmoralischeTatsachensinddurchnatrlicheTatsachenkonstituiertbzw.
aufsiegegrndet.DieAussage,dasseineHandlunggutoderrichtigist,istentweder

sachidentischmiteinerAussagebernatrlicheTatsache
oder
ihreWahrheitistmitderWahrheiteinerAussagebereinenatrlicheTatsachegegeben.

nichtnaturalistischmoralischeTatsachenlassensichnichtaufnatrlicheTatsachen
zurckfhren,sondernsindTatsachensuigeneris.

DermetaethischeNaturalismusbasiertsomit(durchdieBauhauptungderObjektivitt
moralischerAussagen)aufderZurckweisungdesnaturalistischenFehlschlusses.

metaethics

http://www.iwp.jku.at/born/mpwfst/02/0205Ethik_Pos_k.html
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/metaethics/#GenObs
http://www.iep.utm.edu/metaethi/#SH1a