Aesthetic Judgment and the Moral Image of the World: Studies in Kant (Studies in Kant and German Idealism) [Paperback]

Dieter Henrich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1994 | Series: Studies in Kant and German Idealism

A collection of four essays on aesthetic, ethical, and political issues by Dieter Henrich, the preeminent Kant scholar in Germany today.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Henrich is one of today’s leading scholars on classical German philosophy. A striking feature of his work is the combination of historical scholarship with deep concern about intellectual and ethical relevance of authors like Kant, Fichte, or Hegel. . . . The essays are clearly written and well translated. . . . Their scholarly mastery will be appreciated by students of Kant and German idealism.”—Choice

From the Back Cover

“Henrich is one of today’s leading scholars on classical German philosophy. A striking feature of his work is the combination of historical scholarship with deep concern about intellectual and ethical relevance of authors like Kant, Fichte, or Hegel. . . . The essays are clearly written and well translated. . . . Their scholarly mastery will be appreciated by students of Kant and German idealism.”—Choice

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (November 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804723672
• ISBN-13: 978-0804723671
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #477,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine collection, April 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Aesthetic Judgment and the Moral Image of the World: Studies in Kant (Studies in Kant and German Idealism) (Paperback)

This is a very useful little collection of essays, by one of the few contemporary German scholars who have dealt extensively with the third Critique. Henrich has some radical and laudable thoughts on the cognitive status of judgments of beauty. The collection is, however, by no means limited to consideration of aesthetic matters, and shows a deep understanding of the whole of Kant's writings.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting essays on Kantian themes, October 6, 2005

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FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Aesthetic Judgment and the Moral Image of the World: Studies in Kant (Studies in Kant and German Idealism) (Paperback)

This is a series of four lectures, the first two of which were delivered at Stanford University in 1990, by Dieter Henrich, an expert in philosophy from Kant to Fichte. The other two come from other public events in 1983 and 1989.

The first lecture deals primarily with Kant's moral basis, and looks broadly at the whole Critical project, with special emphasis on the third. Henrich deals briefly with ontological issues from 'Critique of Pure Reason' and Kant's metaphysical writing. Henrich traces Kant's thinking to the point where the third critique is possible. 'The book as a whole is shaped as a partial discipline within philosophy as an ascent. The very notion of a reflective judgement is the notion of an ascending power of the mind.' Henrich himself has arguments with the ontological and epistemological structures Kant sets up, but 'although our analyses have shown that Kant's books cannot be used as sources of everlasting insight,' he did in the end found a movement from which we cannot easily escape, and, according to Henrich, 'with which we can and should remain affiliated.'

The second lecture deals primarily with Kant's third critique, 'Critique of Judgement', and looks at epistemological difficulties with Kant's ideas of transcendentals, as well as the various notions that Kant had used in his early Critiques being used in the same way in the aesthetics. Henrich develops Kant's use of the idea of harmonious play quite a bit, and states for Kant 'it must be this distinctive state of our cognitive faculties upon which aesthetic judgement is founded.' Kant was a formalist, believing that all ideas of beauty and aesthetic quality must be derived from fundamental principles that are consistent. Henrich argues 'that Kant himself had only a limited insight into the details of his own theory,' and that there is still much to be learned from an analysis of the 'Critique of Judgement.'

The third and fourth lectures both develop moral themes based on ideas of human rights and autonomy, as well as various political situations (most particularly, the French Revolution). Any claim for a universal idea of human rights involves making a reference to the moral image of the world, according to Henrich. This same is true for political community and action. Henrich argues that we need to be careful about exhibiting colonialist/imperialist ideas in oppressive ways under the guise of seeking universals.

These are interesting essays that develop Kantian ideas in context of later developments in philosophy and politics, and give insight for the way in which these concepts continue and will continue to be of influence.