Pros And Cons Of Kantianism

Kantianism is the name given to the ethical theory of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724–1804). Kant believed that people’s actions ought to be guided by moral laws, and that these moral laws were universal. He held that in order to apply to all rational beings, any supreme principle of morality must itself be based on reason. There are two categorical of Kantianism, first is “Act only from moral rules that you can at the same time will be universal moral laws” and second is “Act so that you always treat both yourself and other people as ends in themselves, and never only as a means to an end”[9]. In the debate about the right to remain silent in Vietnam, if the right are accepted, we will avoid many wrongful convictions from interrogation and torture but at the same time causing difficulties in the investigation. The side that against the measure, which led to the police may use torture to force suspects to confess, it means that any person being arrested will be claim that they are criminals until they are proven innocent or become true criminals. In another sense, we sacrifice civil rights of some people to protect others, we used some people to protect others which contrary to the second formation of Kantianism.

Hence, a rule utilitarian applies the Principle of Utility to moral rules, while an act utilitarian applies the Principle of Utility to individual moral actions[11]. The good point of Rule Utilitarianism is it follows “moral rules” in which there are exceptions. In case of debate on the right to remain silent in Vietnam, like Act Utilitarianism, it will support the measure because we cannot sacrifice the right of some people to protect the interests of another group, but in case of that sacrifice is necessary for the whole society, we can do it as