Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Kant on lies

 Kant holds a strict position on lying, maintaining that it is always wrong even in the most plausible of cases, such as when you are confronted by a homicidally minded person concerning the whereabouts of someone you are hiding. If you apply the Categorical Imperative, can you come up with an alternative view of lies in which some lies might be justified? 

Here is an attempt.

Can you use natural law to oppose homosexuality, but not use natural law to oppose contraception?

Here is a simple question. Can you accept the natural law argument against homosexuality, explained here, without also accepting the natural law argument against contraception. The former argument is popular even amongst Protestants and Catholics who are not strict adherents of Humanae Vitae. But the anti-gay argument and the case for Humanae Vitae are structurally very similar. So the natural law argument looks like a package deal to me.