The Ethics of Martyrdom: A Kantian Analysis of Duty, Sacrifice, and Moral Worth
The Ethics of Martyrdom: A Kantian Analysis of Duty, Sacrifice, and Moral Worth

Author(s): Evangelos D. Protopapadakis
Subject(s): Theology and Religion, Religion and science
Published by: Editura Doxologia
Keywords: Kantian ethics; martyrdom; sacrifice; moral duty; sacrificial death; perfect duties; imperfect duties; categorical imperative;
Summary/Abstract: This short paper aims to explore how Kantian ethics, arguably the most dominant and influential ethical tradition in Western thought, perceives the complex and often emotionally charged phenomena of martyrdom and sacrifice, which are frequently celebrated in religious, political, and moral traditions throughout history. Could these actions indeed hold up under the rigorous lens of Immanuel Kant’s deontological moral theory, which emphasises duty, rationality, and the moral law? Can self-sacrifice be truly moral? Does martyrdom represent a duty, or does it risk violating the central Kantian principle of respecting humanity as an end in itself? Although those who give everything for a cause rarely fail to attract moral admiration, the Kantian approach goes deeper, since it does not recognise moral merit based on outcomes or symbolic gestures, but only by considering whether any action was taken out of respect for moral law, and whether it honours rational agency. Kant’s perspective may seem hostile towards sacrifice and martyrdom at first glance, but a deeper look may offer a much more nuanced perspective.

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