First, if morality consists of a set of rules, what would those rules be, precisely? They can’t be just ‘don’t lie

First, if morality consists of a set of rules, what would those rules be, precisely? They can't be just "don't lie", "don't cheat" "don't steal" if these are completely universal rules, because there are times we believe people are justified in lying, cheating and stealing. So can we formulate the rules precisely? Make an attempt to come up with a plausible universal moral rule and discuss the attempts of other students.

Second, Kant says that his view can be formulated in terms of respecting other people, treating them as end-in-themselves, and never just as means to an end. We might disagree with Kant that it is always wrong to use people. Or we might agree. A prior issue is what it really means to use people. 

Consider various examples of interacting with other people to see when they count as you using the other person:

— parents lying to their children about bad news to protect them from feeling upset

— children lying to parents about their activities to stop them from being angry with them and stop them from punishing them.

— a one night stand/random hook up

— having sex with someone you love

— going to a restaurant so other people will cook for you

— paying a personal trainer to coach you

— being entertained by acrobats at a circus

— buying shoes manufactured in a foreign factory where workers get paid far less than they would in a US factory

400 Words – 8 hours of wor.