Kant and the Problem of God

by Michalson, Gordon E.

• ISBN13: 9780631212201
• ISBN10: 0631212205
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-08-25
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Immanuel Kant is often referred to as the 'philosopher of Protestantism' because he provides a model for mediating successfully between a modern scientific world view and theism. This radical new reading of Kant's religious thought suggests that he is in fact more accurately read as a precursor to nineteenth-century atheism than to liberal Protestant theology. Michalson locates major themes in Kant's philosophy that are more continuous with nineteenth-century atheism than with constructive theology. The 'problem of God' in Kant turns out to be the problem of retaining authentic references to God in light of the 'self-inventing' character of Kant's theory of human freedom. The book explores several ways in which this problem comes to light in Kant's philosophy, including an extended examination of Kant's own moral proof of the existence of God. Finally, Michalson suggests that, in his effort to develop a theory of human freedom consistent with his Enlightenment ideals, Kant produced a philosophical vision that ultimately absorbs heaven into earth. In addition to providing an alternative perspective on Kant's religious thought, this book raises serious questions about the idea of theological 'mediation' which attempts to accommodate both intellectual autonomy and divine transcendence. The book will be of interest to students and scholars in philosophy, religious studies and theology with an interest in Kant, the development of modern theology or the debate over 'modernity' and its proper definition.

Author Biography

Gordon E. Michalson Jr. is Professor of Humanities at New College of the University of South Florida. His previous books include Fallen Freedom: Kant on Radical Evil and Moral Regeneration (1990), Lessing's 'Ugly Ditch': A Study of Theology and History (1985), and The Historical Dimensions of a Rational Faith: the Role of History in Kant's Religious Thought (1977).

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Kant, Modernity, and Theism	1	(27)
Introduction	1	(5)
The Context: From Descartes to Feuerbach	6	(8)
Kant's Legacy: Conceptuality or Content?	14	(5)
Kant's Principle of Immanence	19	(9)
Kant's Moral Argument: Diminishing the Divine	28	(29)
Kant and the Traditional Proofs	28	(6)
Kant's Moral Argument	34	(7)
Diminishing the Divine	41	(16)
Autonomy's Autonomy	57	(22)
Rousseau's Problem	57	(6)
Autonomy's Autonomy	63	(9)
Autonomy and Divine Commands	72	(4)
Conclusion	76	(3)
Reason's Interest	79	(21)
Rational Metaphors	79	(4)
The ``Interest'' of Reason	83	(10)
Reason and Providence: Toward the Ethical Commonwealth	93	(7)
Heaven Comes to Earth: The Ethical Commonwealth	100	(23)
Introduction: Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone	100	(5)
The Ethical Commonwealth as Corporate Salvation	105	(7)
The Ethical Commonwealth and God	112	(11)
Conclusion	123	(16)
From Kant to Marx	123	(5)
Kant and Mediating Theology	128	(11)
Notes	139	(43)
Bibliography	182	(9)
Index	191