Cette thèse développe une théorie de nos devoirs globaux de justice en accord avec notre expérience commune du devoir en général comme ayant une origine purement a priori. La base de cette théorie consiste en un nouveau type de constructivisme, que j’appelle « constructivisme téléologique » dans la mesure où il réhabilite la notion kantienne de téléologie pure pratique. Dans l’introduction, je jette les bases du constructivisme téléologique en montrant que toutes les théories déontologiques d’inspiration kantienne sont intérieurement téléologiques, dans la mesure où les principes de justice, bien que premiers par rapport au bien, sont eux-mêmes définis en lien avec les fins prescrites a priori par la raison. Dans le chapitre 1, je m’appuie sur la doctrine Rawlsienne du Droit des Peuples pour développer une théorie de la justice internationale qui reconnaît le rôle normatif joué dans la déduction de nos devoirs de justice par une certaine idée de la société internationale. Dans le chapitre 2, je détermine les conditions auxquelles cette théorie est compatible avec le constructivisme téléologique. Dans les chapitres 3 et 4, je définis le constructivisme téléologique comme une approche qui fait dépendre le choix des premiers principes non seulement du respect pour une procédure de réflexion idéale, mais aussi de la reconnaissance de la fin morale finale prescrite purement a priori par la raison. Finalement, dans le chapitre 5, j’explique comment le constructivisme téléologique différencie entre les devoirs éthiques et les devoirs de justice. En conclusion, je reviens sur la spécificité du constructivisme téléologique en tant qu’approche distincte en théorie politique. / This dissertation provides an account of our global duties of right and justice in line with our common experience of duty in general as having a purely a priori origin. The basis of this account is formed by a new type of constructivism, which I call “teleological constructivism” insofar as it rehabilitates the Kantian notion of pure practical teleology. In the introduction, I prepare the ground for teleological constructivism by showing that all Kantian-inspired deontological theories are internally teleological insofar as the principles of right and justice, though prior to the good, are themselves defined in relation to a final end prescribed purely a priori by reason. In chapter 1, I draw on Rawls’ doctrine of the Law of Peoples to develop an institutionalist account of international justice which recognizes the normative role played by a certain idea of international society in the deduction of our distributive obligations. In chapter 2, I further specify the terms of this account to make it compatible with teleological constructivism. In chapters 3 and 4, I go deeper into the definition of teleological constructivism as an approach that makes the choice of the first principles depend not only on respect for a procedure of ideal reflection, but also on the recognition of a final moral end prescribed purely a priori by reason. Finally, in chapter 5, I explain how teleological constructivism differentiates between ethical and juridical duties and argue for the superiority of the contractualist view over the property-based account of our duties of justice. In conclusion, I discuss the specificity of teleological constructivism as a distinct approach in political theory.

The aim of this work is to show that criticisms of Kantian ethics from the field of virtue ethics misfire because they rely on a widespread reading of Kant which centers on the Groundwork and the Formula of Universal Law as the key elements in his moral philosophy. This reading, I argue, is susceptible both to charges of “empty formalism” and moral “rigorism” as well as the complaint voiced by virtue ethicists that Kantian ethics lacks a full-blooded account of the virtues, along with the attendant desiderata of sociality, character and the emotions. In response, I defend the proposal that the Formula of Humanity and the Doctrine of Virtue in the Metaphysics of Morals represent the final form of Kant’s ethical thought. If this is accurate, a rich and novel ethical theory emerges, and many of the criticisms from the field of virtue ethics are subsequently disarmed.

The aim of this work is to show that criticisms of Kantian ethics from the field of virtue ethics misfire because they rely on a widespread reading of Kant which centers on the Groundwork and the Formula of Universal Law as the key elements in his moral philosophy. This reading, I argue, is susceptible both to charges of “empty formalism” and moral “rigorism” as well as the complaint voiced by virtue ethicists that Kantian ethics lacks a full-blooded account of the virtues, along with the attendant desiderata of sociality, character and the emotions. In response, I defend the proposal that the Formula of Humanity and the Doctrine of Virtue in the Metaphysics of Morals represent the final form of Kant’s ethical thought. If this is accurate, a rich and novel ethical theory emerges, and many of the criticisms from the field of virtue ethics are subsequently disarmed.

Environmental philosophers have argued that Kant’s philosophy offers little for environmental issues. Furthermore, Kant scholars typically focus on humanity, ignoring the question of duties to the environment. In my dissertation, I turn to a number of underexploited texts in Kant’s work to show how both sides are misguided in neglecting the ecological potential of Kant, making the case for the green Kant at the intersection of Kant scholarship and environmental ethics. I build upon previous literature to argue that the green Kant matters for both sides. Rather than a liability, Kant is indeed a conceptual resource. Though many conceive of Kant’s philosophy as environmentally problematic, I argue that underappreciated evolutionary, aesthetic, and holistic sides of Kant’s philosophy can provide conceptual resources for issues in climate change and environmental ethics. Some aspects, such as the pre-critical view of nature, are quite green and merely require an application, while others, such as Kant’s philosophy of history, require a green appropriation to be relevant. The theoretical foundations I develop in these texts will allow Kantians to articulate duties regarding nature and duties for sustainability. This re-thinking of Kant redresses the complaints environmental thinkers hold against Kant. By means of a philosophical interpretation, defense, and application of particular texts from Kant’s works such as Universal Natural History, Critique of Judgment, and Idea for a Universal History, I show how the greening of Kant is not only helpful for contemporary issues, but also defensible. This will make the green Kant agreeable to Kant scholars yet all the while relevant for today with regard to environmental ethics and, more importantly, climate change.

O objetivo principal da tese é examinar se, na filosofia prática de Immanuel Kant, estariam já contidas distintas variantes da ideia de universalizabilidade, mais especificamente as variantes de Richard Mervyn Hare, Kurt Baier, Marcus George Singer e Jürgen Habermas, com vistas a determinar se a teoria do discurso prático racional de Robert Alexy poderia ser designada como kantiana. O objetivo secundário da tese é examinar se a ideia de universalizabilidade, tal como desenvolvida na lógica formal e na ética de orientação kantiana, pode ser empregada com sucesso na fundamentação filosófica do princípio jurídico da igualdade e da vinculatividade dos precedentes judiciais, bem como apresentar argumentos baseados na universalizabilidade e nos precedentes para a solução de três recursos extraordinários, com repercussão geral reconhecida, que estão pendentes de julgamento pelo Supremo Tribunal Federal brasileiro: Recursos Extraordinários no 611.874, no 639.138 e no 710.293. Os métodos empregados foram o lógico-analítico, o hermenêutico e o comparativo, incluindo também pesquisa bibliográfica, jurisprudencial e legislativa. Os principais resultados obtidos foram estes: (i) do ponto de vista da lógica formal, a universalizabilidade pode ser situada no âmbito das regras de operação do cálculo de predicados de primeira ordem; (ii) com relação às diferentes formulações do imperativo categórico de Kant, a Fórmula IIIa (Reino dos Fins) parece a mais abrangente, ao compreender a forma da ação moral (a lei universal) e a matéria da ação moral (as pessoas como fins em si mesmas); (iii) em seus aspectos essenciais, as variantes da universalizabilidade de Hare, Baier, Singer e Habermas podem ser reconduzidas ao imperativo categórico kantiano; (iv) na filosofia do direito e do estado de Kant, a doutrina da dação de leis dupla explica a diferença entre a dação de leis ética e a dação de leis jurídica com base na diferença da “mola propulsora” (Triebfeder); (v) a existência de uma estreita ligação entre os conceitos de direito (incluindo a possibilidade de coerção externa), de universalizabilidade e de igualdade (na aplicação do direito e no estabelecimento do direito) foi demonstrada; (vi) os dois conceitos fundamentais da teoria do precedente – stare decisis e ratio decidendi – podem ser reconduzidos à ideia de universalizabilidade; (vii) tanto os argumentos baseados na utilização de precedentes, quanto o argumento da universalizabilidade, podem oferecer importantes contribuições para a solução de casos concretos, pendentes de julgamento nos tribunais brasileiros. As conclusões alcançadas a partir dos resultados são que as variantes da ideia de universalizabilidade de Hare, Baier, Singer e Habermas podem, em seus aspectos essenciais, ser reconduzidas à filosofia prática de Kant, demonstrando também a compatibilidade da teoria do discurso prático racional de Alexy com esta filosofia. / The main objective of the thesis is to examine whether in Immanuel Kant’s practical philosophy distinct variants of the idea of universalizability are already contained, in particular Richard Mervyn Hare’s, Kurt Baier’s, Marcus George Singer’s and Jürgen Habermas’ variants, with a view to determine whether Robert Alexy’s theory of rational practical discourse could be construed as Kantian. The secondary objective of the thesis is to examine whether the idea of universalizability, such as developed in formal logic and ethics of Kantian orientation, can be employed successfully in the philosophical foundation of the legal principle of equality and of the binding character of judicial precedent, as well as to present arguments based on universalizability and precedent for the solution of three extraordinary appeals, with recognized general repercussion, which are pending judgment in the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court: Extraordinary Appeals n. 611.874, n. 639.138 and n. 710.293. The methods employed were the logical-analytic, the hermeneutic and the comparative, including also bibliographical, case law and legislative review. The main results obtained were as follows: (i) from the viewpoint of formal logic, universalizability can be located within the domain of operation rules of first order predicate calculus; (ii) in relation to the different formulas of Kant’s categorical imperative, the Formula IIIa (Kingdom of Ends) seems the more inclusive, by comprehending the form of moral action (the universal law) and the matter of moral action (the people as ends in themselves); ( (iii) in their essential aspects, Hare’s, Baier’s, Singer’s and Habermas’ variants of universalizability can be reduced to the Kantian categorical imperative; (iv) in Kant’s philosophy of law and state, the double law-giving doctrine explains the difference between the ethical law-giving and legal law-giving based on the difference between “incentive” (Triebfeder); (v) the existence of a close link between the concepts of law (including the possibility of external coercion), universalizability and equality (in the application of law and in the establishment of law) was demonstrated; (vi) the two fundamental concepts of the theory of precedent – stare decisis and ratio decidendi – can be reduced to the idea of universalizability; (vii) both arguments based on the utilization of precedent and the argument of universalizability can offer an important contribution to the solution of concrete cases, pending judgment in Brazilian courts. The conclusions obtained from the results are that Hare’s, Baier’s, Singer’s and Habermas’ variants of the idea of universalizability can, in their essential aspects, be reduced to Kant’s practical philosophy, also demonstrating the compatibility between Alexy’s theory of rational practical discourse and that philosophy.

O objetivo principal da tese é examinar se, na filosofia prática de Immanuel Kant, estariam já contidas distintas variantes da ideia de universalizabilidade, mais especificamente as variantes de Richard Mervyn Hare, Kurt Baier, Marcus George Singer e Jürgen Habermas, com vistas a determinar se a teoria do discurso prático racional de Robert Alexy poderia ser designada como kantiana. O objetivo secundário da tese é examinar se a ideia de universalizabilidade, tal como desenvolvida na lógica formal e na ética de orientação kantiana, pode ser empregada com sucesso na fundamentação filosófica do princípio jurídico da igualdade e da vinculatividade dos precedentes judiciais, bem como apresentar argumentos baseados na universalizabilidade e nos precedentes para a solução de três recursos extraordinários, com repercussão geral reconhecida, que estão pendentes de julgamento pelo Supremo Tribunal Federal brasileiro: Recursos Extraordinários no 611.874, no 639.138 e no 710.293. Os métodos empregados foram o lógico-analítico, o hermenêutico e o comparativo, incluindo também pesquisa bibliográfica, jurisprudencial e legislativa. Os principais resultados obtidos foram estes: (i) do ponto de vista da lógica formal, a universalizabilidade pode ser situada no âmbito das regras de operação do cálculo de predicados de primeira ordem; (ii) com relação às diferentes formulações do imperativo categórico de Kant, a Fórmula IIIa (Reino dos Fins) parece a mais abrangente, ao compreender a forma da ação moral (a lei universal) e a matéria da ação moral (as pessoas como fins em si mesmas); (iii) em seus aspectos essenciais, as variantes da universalizabilidade de Hare, Baier, Singer e Habermas podem ser reconduzidas ao imperativo categórico kantiano; (iv) na filosofia do direito e do estado de Kant, a doutrina da dação de leis dupla explica a diferença entre a dação de leis ética e a dação de leis jurídica com base na diferença da “mola propulsora” (Triebfeder); (v) a existência de uma estreita ligação entre os conceitos de direito (incluindo a possibilidade de coerção externa), de universalizabilidade e de igualdade (na aplicação do direito e no estabelecimento do direito) foi demonstrada; (vi) os dois conceitos fundamentais da teoria do precedente – stare decisis e ratio decidendi – podem ser reconduzidos à ideia de universalizabilidade; (vii) tanto os argumentos baseados na utilização de precedentes, quanto o argumento da universalizabilidade, podem oferecer importantes contribuições para a solução de casos concretos, pendentes de julgamento nos tribunais brasileiros. As conclusões alcançadas a partir dos resultados são que as variantes da ideia de universalizabilidade de Hare, Baier, Singer e Habermas podem, em seus aspectos essenciais, ser reconduzidas à filosofia prática de Kant, demonstrando também a compatibilidade da teoria do discurso prático racional de Alexy com esta filosofia. / The main objective of the thesis is to examine whether in Immanuel Kant’s practical philosophy distinct variants of the idea of universalizability are already contained, in particular Richard Mervyn Hare’s, Kurt Baier’s, Marcus George Singer’s and Jürgen Habermas’ variants, with a view to determine whether Robert Alexy’s theory of rational practical discourse could be construed as Kantian. The secondary objective of the thesis is to examine whether the idea of universalizability, such as developed in formal logic and ethics of Kantian orientation, can be employed successfully in the philosophical foundation of the legal principle of equality and of the binding character of judicial precedent, as well as to present arguments based on universalizability and precedent for the solution of three extraordinary appeals, with recognized general repercussion, which are pending judgment in the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court: Extraordinary Appeals n. 611.874, n. 639.138 and n. 710.293. The methods employed were the logical-analytic, the hermeneutic and the comparative, including also bibliographical, case law and legislative review. The main results obtained were as follows: (i) from the viewpoint of formal logic, universalizability can be located within the domain of operation rules of first order predicate calculus; (ii) in relation to the different formulas of Kant’s categorical imperative, the Formula IIIa (Kingdom of Ends) seems the more inclusive, by comprehending the form of moral action (the universal law) and the matter of moral action (the people as ends in themselves); ( (iii) in their essential aspects, Hare’s, Baier’s, Singer’s and Habermas’ variants of universalizability can be reduced to the Kantian categorical imperative; (iv) in Kant’s philosophy of law and state, the double law-giving doctrine explains the difference between the ethical law-giving and legal law-giving based on the difference between “incentive” (Triebfeder); (v) the existence of a close link between the concepts of law (including the possibility of external coercion), universalizability and equality (in the application of law and in the establishment of law) was demonstrated; (vi) the two fundamental concepts of the theory of precedent – stare decisis and ratio decidendi – can be reduced to the idea of universalizability; (vii) both arguments based on the utilization of precedent and the argument of universalizability can offer an important contribution to the solution of concrete cases, pending judgment in Brazilian courts. The conclusions obtained from the results are that Hare’s, Baier’s, Singer’s and Habermas’ variants of the idea of universalizability can, in their essential aspects, be reduced to Kant’s practical philosophy, also demonstrating the compatibility between Alexy’s theory of rational practical discourse and that philosophy.

O objetivo principal da tese é examinar se, na filosofia prática de Immanuel Kant, estariam já contidas distintas variantes da ideia de universalizabilidade, mais especificamente as variantes de Richard Mervyn Hare, Kurt Baier, Marcus George Singer e Jürgen Habermas, com vistas a determinar se a teoria do discurso prático racional de Robert Alexy poderia ser designada como kantiana. O objetivo secundário da tese é examinar se a ideia de universalizabilidade, tal como desenvolvida na lógica formal e na ética de orientação kantiana, pode ser empregada com sucesso na fundamentação filosófica do princípio jurídico da igualdade e da vinculatividade dos precedentes judiciais, bem como apresentar argumentos baseados na universalizabilidade e nos precedentes para a solução de três recursos extraordinários, com repercussão geral reconhecida, que estão pendentes de julgamento pelo Supremo Tribunal Federal brasileiro: Recursos Extraordinários no 611.874, no 639.138 e no 710.293. Os métodos empregados foram o lógico-analítico, o hermenêutico e o comparativo, incluindo também pesquisa bibliográfica, jurisprudencial e legislativa. Os principais resultados obtidos foram estes: (i) do ponto de vista da lógica formal, a universalizabilidade pode ser situada no âmbito das regras de operação do cálculo de predicados de primeira ordem; (ii) com relação às diferentes formulações do imperativo categórico de Kant, a Fórmula IIIa (Reino dos Fins) parece a mais abrangente, ao compreender a forma da ação moral (a lei universal) e a matéria da ação moral (as pessoas como fins em si mesmas); (iii) em seus aspectos essenciais, as variantes da universalizabilidade de Hare, Baier, Singer e Habermas podem ser reconduzidas ao imperativo categórico kantiano; (iv) na filosofia do direito e do estado de Kant, a doutrina da dação de leis dupla explica a diferença entre a dação de leis ética e a dação de leis jurídica com base na diferença da “mola propulsora” (Triebfeder); (v) a existência de uma estreita ligação entre os conceitos de direito (incluindo a possibilidade de coerção externa), de universalizabilidade e de igualdade (na aplicação do direito e no estabelecimento do direito) foi demonstrada; (vi) os dois conceitos fundamentais da teoria do precedente – stare decisis e ratio decidendi – podem ser reconduzidos à ideia de universalizabilidade; (vii) tanto os argumentos baseados na utilização de precedentes, quanto o argumento da universalizabilidade, podem oferecer importantes contribuições para a solução de casos concretos, pendentes de julgamento nos tribunais brasileiros. As conclusões alcançadas a partir dos resultados são que as variantes da ideia de universalizabilidade de Hare, Baier, Singer e Habermas podem, em seus aspectos essenciais, ser reconduzidas à filosofia prática de Kant, demonstrando também a compatibilidade da teoria do discurso prático racional de Alexy com esta filosofia. / The main objective of the thesis is to examine whether in Immanuel Kant’s practical philosophy distinct variants of the idea of universalizability are already contained, in particular Richard Mervyn Hare’s, Kurt Baier’s, Marcus George Singer’s and Jürgen Habermas’ variants, with a view to determine whether Robert Alexy’s theory of rational practical discourse could be construed as Kantian. The secondary objective of the thesis is to examine whether the idea of universalizability, such as developed in formal logic and ethics of Kantian orientation, can be employed successfully in the philosophical foundation of the legal principle of equality and of the binding character of judicial precedent, as well as to present arguments based on universalizability and precedent for the solution of three extraordinary appeals, with recognized general repercussion, which are pending judgment in the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court: Extraordinary Appeals n. 611.874, n. 639.138 and n. 710.293. The methods employed were the logical-analytic, the hermeneutic and the comparative, including also bibliographical, case law and legislative review. The main results obtained were as follows: (i) from the viewpoint of formal logic, universalizability can be located within the domain of operation rules of first order predicate calculus; (ii) in relation to the different formulas of Kant’s categorical imperative, the Formula IIIa (Kingdom of Ends) seems the more inclusive, by comprehending the form of moral action (the universal law) and the matter of moral action (the people as ends in themselves); ( (iii) in their essential aspects, Hare’s, Baier’s, Singer’s and Habermas’ variants of universalizability can be reduced to the Kantian categorical imperative; (iv) in Kant’s philosophy of law and state, the double law-giving doctrine explains the difference between the ethical law-giving and legal law-giving based on the difference between “incentive” (Triebfeder); (v) the existence of a close link between the concepts of law (including the possibility of external coercion), universalizability and equality (in the application of law and in the establishment of law) was demonstrated; (vi) the two fundamental concepts of the theory of precedent – stare decisis and ratio decidendi – can be reduced to the idea of universalizability; (vii) both arguments based on the utilization of precedent and the argument of universalizability can offer an important contribution to the solution of concrete cases, pending judgment in Brazilian courts. The conclusions obtained from the results are that Hare’s, Baier’s, Singer’s and Habermas’ variants of the idea of universalizability can, in their essential aspects, be reduced to Kant’s practical philosophy, also demonstrating the compatibility between Alexy’s theory of rational practical discourse and that philosophy.

The practice of "kidfluencing," or using children as social media influencers to promote commercial products and services, raises ethical concerns about the commodification of childhood, them being viewed as products, and their rights falling between the gaps. This essay critically examines the moral dilemmas and challenges in regulating kidfluencing practices from a Kantian and virtue ethics perspective, analyzing the implications of commodifying childhood and the potential harm it can cause. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is used as a framework for evaluating the moral interests of children in the context of kidfluencing practices. Arguments for and against regulating kidfluencing practices and the challenges and dilemmas in achieving effective and consistent regulation are presented. The essay concludes with a summary acknowledging the limitations and the need for further research.

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The legal historical development of fairness in the South African common law of contract is investigated in the context of the political, social and economic developments of the last four centuries. It emerges that the common law of contract is still dominated by the ideologies of individualism and economic liberalism which were imported from English law during the nineteenth century. Together with the theories of legal positivism and formalism which are closely related to parliamentary sovereignty and the classical rule of law, these ideals were transposed into the common law of contract through the classical model of contract law which emphasises freedom and sanctity of contract and promotes legal certainty. This approach resulted in the negation of the court’s equitable discretion and the limitation of good faith which sustain the social and economic inequalities that were created under colonialism and exacerbated under apartheid rule. In stark contrast, the modern human rights culture grounded in human dignity and aimed at the promotion of substantive equality led to the introduction of modern contract theory in other parts of the world. The introduction of the Constitution as grounded in human dignity and aimed at the achievement of substantive equality has resulted in a sophisticated jurisprudence on human dignity that reflects a harmonisation between its Western conception as based on Kantian dignity and ubuntu which provides an African understanding thereof. In this respect, ubuntu plays an important role in infusing the common law of contract with African values and in promoting substantive equality between contracting parties in line with modern contract theory. It is submitted that this approach to human dignity should result in the development of good faith into a substantive rule of the common law of contract which can be used to set aside an unfair contract term or the unfair enforcement thereof. / Private Law / LL. D.