About Immanuel Kant & Kantian Ethics
Kant was a 18th century German Philosopher, a rationalist and exponent of the modern day absolutist ethical theory known as Kantian Ethics. Kant's theory was different to Bentham's as he did not look at whole situation as once, and did not treat people as a means to an end. Kant valued life and would treat everyone as an individual, and not just as a number. Kant believed that actions are intrinsically right or wrong, regardless of the consequences. Kantians stress the importance of duty and good intentions : "Act only according to that maxim which you can, at the same time, will to become a universal law". In other words, only do what you would want everyone else to do. Kant thought there were morally bad actions, robbing, killing, and morally good actions, helping people, giving to charity, and these would not change, no matter the intentions or circumstances. Kant's theory was similar to Bentham's, in the way that it was a set of rules one should follow to determine what is morally right, or what is morally wrong, although different to Fletcher's, as Fletcher's theory is more flexible, and can be adapted into different situations easier.
Kantian Views on the Robin Hood Problem
Kant, unlike Bentham would give the man to the authorities, as robbing is a morally bad action, no matter the intentions. Kant would not look at the situation as a whole, and would not take into account the overall pain and overall pleasure caused by the action. He would only look at the action itself, which normally is considered a 'bad' or morally wrong thing to do. He argues that if it is right for one man to rob, it should be right for anyone to rob, as the action should be considered alone, and the circumstances cannot change how moral the action is.