Right and ethics in Kantian architecture – a critique of the dependency thesis

Abstract

This article presents a critique of the thesis of the dependence of right to morals in Kantian philosophy. The guiding thread of our analysis will be the exposition of such reading through Höffe's arguments, which he presents in his article concluding a categorical imperative of right. We base our critique on the insufficient foundations of the moral concept of right and the obligatoriness of legal actions. Furthermore, this article aims to present a correct reading of right and ethics as subclasses of moral law, without, however, blending their constituent elements. For that, we will present the arguments of the thesis of dependence through Höffe's exposition and then proceed to critique the foundational aspects of such reading. Finally, we will delineate the field of action of each subclass of moral law, namely, right and ethics.