For Kant's ends-in-themselves principle to work, "others" must mean instances of reason
jessi_cata · x · 2026-09-04
Replying to davidad, jessicata notes the claim seems Kant-adjacent: Kant asserts that "do not use others only as a means to an end, but also an end in themselves" is equivalent to the categorical imperative — but for that equivalence to hold, "others" has to be read as something like "non-self instantiations of reason." This is the source text for the ensuing debate on whether the principle applies to AI agents.
Related event: Debate: Can Kant's 'Ends in Themselves' Principle Apply to LLMs?(3 posts)→
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