A Formalization of Kant's Second Formulation of the Categorical Imperative

TL;DR

This paper formalizes Kant's second categorical imperative using causal models, enabling computational reasoning about moral duties and treatment of persons as ends, with applications to strict and wide duties.

Contribution

It introduces Kantian causal agency models that formalize Kant's second formulation and distinguishes between strict and wide duties in a computational framework.

Findings

Formalization of Kant's second formulation in causal models

Differentiation between strict and wide duties towards persons

Identification of limitations in the formalization approach

Abstract

We present a formalization and computational implementation of the second formulation of Kant's categorical imperative. This ethical principle requires an agent to never treat someone merely as a means but always also as an end. Here we interpret this principle in terms of how persons are causally affected by actions. We introduce Kantian causal agency models in which moral patients, actions, goals, and causal influence are represented, and we show how to formalize several readings of Kant's categorical imperative that correspond to Kant's concept of strict and wide duties towards oneself and others. Stricter versions handle cases where an action directly causally affects oneself or others, whereas the wide version maximizes the number of persons being treated as an end. We discuss limitations of our formalization by pointing to one of Kant's cases that the machinery cannot handle in a satisfying way.