Watch this Crash Course Philosophy video on Kant's categorical imperative.

Then, demonstrate your understanding of Kant's categorical imperative by considering the following scenarios. In your post, do the following:

State the maxim that would be created in each situation (see note below!)

Explain how you believe a good Kantian would respond based on the maxim. Include reasons for your answers; in other words, instead of simply saying 'a Kantian would respond thusly' explain WHY you think a Kantian would respond that way.

Scenario 1: You are experiencing symptoms that could indicate you have Covid-19, but you go to a friend's birthday party regardless.

Scenario 2: You want to lie to a friend about your dislike for her romantic partner to avoid hurting her feelings.

Section B in Chapter 6 of our text specifically discusses how a maxim would be reached/created. A maxim is a general principle derived from a specific situation, and it is expressed as a complete sentence. As an example, were I late to a meeting and wondering if it would be ethical for me to speed from a Kantian perspective, the maxim I would derive from this specific scenario, my speeding to get to a meeting, would be a general, universal statement: everyone should speed, or, it would be morally right for everyone to speed. Then, I would reason about this general, universal statement to decide whether it would be moral for me to speed. Formulate a maxim for each of the above scenarios as a complete statement expressing a universal action.

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