Freedom and Anthropology in Kant's Moral Philosophy

by Patrick R. Frierson

• ISBN13: 9780521824002
• ISBN10: 0521824001
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-07-21
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This book is the first comprehensive account of Kant's theory of freedom and his moral anthropology. The point of departure is the apparent conflict between three claims to which Kant is committed: that human beings are transcendentally free, that moral anthropology studies the empirical influences on human beings, and that more anthropology is morally relevant. Frierson shows why this conflict is only apparent. He draws on Kant's transcendental idealism and his theory of the will and describes how empirical influences can affect the empirical expression of one's will in a way that is morally significant but still consistent with Kant's concept of freedom. As the first work on Kant to integrate his anthropology with his philosophy as a whole, this book will be an unusually important source of study for all Kant scholars and advanced students of Kant.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Kant's anthropology and Schleiermacher's dilemma

Part I. The Problem: 1. The asymmetry in Kant's conception of freedom

2. Anthropology as an empirical science

3. The moral significance of Kant's 'pragmatic anthropology'

4. Moral anthropology in contemporary neokantian ethics

Part II. The Solution: 5. Transcendental evil, radical evil, and moral anthropology

6. Moral influence on others

Epilogue. Incorporating moral anthropology and defending Kantian moral philosophy.