A COMPARISON OF ETHICS OF IMMANUEL KANT AND BUDDHIST ETHICS

Abstract

The thesis objectives are as follows: 1. to study the ethics of Immanuel Kant, 2. to study Buddhist ethics, and 3. to compare the ethics of Immanuel Kant and Buddhist ethics. The data of this research were mainly collected from the relevant primary and secondary sources.

The results of the research were as follows:

1. 1. Immanuel Kant offers an ethical idea of ​​the criterion of virtue, and the key is to use intention as a criterion of action. If only a human uses his wisdom, he can be a good person as the intention of the doer. Kant's ethics is conventionally defined, that is to say, the validity of an act is independent of its consequences, good intentions and duties. Moral value depends on the individual's intentions, and it will have moral value depending on the act of duty. In the view of Immanuel Kant, when an action occurs, there are two types of impulses of actions: 1. Actions caused by emotional forces and 2. Actions arise from a sense of duty.  Kant has other interesting conceptual principles: the judging criteria, the principle of man as his own destiny, and the law of liberty.
2. 2. Buddhist ethics is rooted in the teachings of Buddhism. Buddhist ethics is a principle of good behavior divided into 3 levels: 1) Basic Buddhist ethics provided for the peace of society, and the Dhamma principle consists of the Five Precepts and the Five Virtues, 2) Buddhist ethics at the middle level aiming to refine oneself to have a higher morality. The principle consists of the 8 precepts and the tenfold wholesome course of action, and 3) high level of Buddhist ethics, which is to develop oneself as a noble person through the Noble Eightfold Path.
3. 3. The ethics of Immanuel Kant and Buddhism can be compared in 6 aspects: 1) the criteria of judging good, 2) the law of liberty, 3) motivation, 4) the benevolence, 5) the laws of morality, and 6) the highest goals.