Kant: Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals [Paperback]

Thomas K. Abbott (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0023001402 | ISBN-13: 978-0023001406 | Publication Date: January 11, 1949 | Edition: 1

Translated by Thomas Kingsmill Abbott

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Library of Liberal Arts title.

About the Author

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was a Prussian philosopher whose best-known works include the Critique of Pure Reason, the Critique of Practical Reason, the Critique of Judgment, and the Metaphysics of Morals. The fourth of eleven children, he attended the University of Königsberg beginning in 1740, where he later became a professor of philosophy. A central figure in moral philosphy, Kant's doctrines rely upon the principles of human autonomy and rationality. His work influenced---either as a foundation or a point of opposition---such later philosophers as Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and Foucault, and his ideas have affected fields ranging from metaphysics and ethics to epistemology and political philosophy. British narrator John Lee has read audiobooks in almost every conceivable genre, from Charles Dickens to Patrick O'Brian, and from the very real life of Napoleon to the entirely imagined lives of sorcerers and swashbucklers. He has won numerous Audie Awards and AudioFile Earphones Awards, and he was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile in 2009. Lee is also an accomplished stage actor and wrote and coproduced the feature films Breathing Hard and Forfeit.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (January 11, 1949)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0023001402
• ISBN-13: 978-0023001406
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was one of the most influential philosophers of all time. His comprehensive and profound thinking on aesthetics, ethics, and knowledge has had an immense impact on all subsequent philosophy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Concise introduction to Kant's thought, October 27, 2009

By 

Dr. Bojan Tunguz (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals (Kindle Edition)

Kant is not considered as one of the more accessible philosophers, and most of his monumental works are too long and beyond reach of an average reader. This short book is still fairly advanced and conceptually sophisticated, but fortunately due to its length it does not go much too deep in philosophical concepts. The book deals on several occasions with the central concept in Kant's moral philosophy, and that is the concept of categorical imperative. This imperative can be summed up in Kant's famous dictum: "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." Several other famous Kant concepts - like practical reason, pure reason, treating humans like ends and not as means in moral considerations, etc. - are dealt with throughout the book. You might need to read the book several times before you get a better understanding of what is being discussed, but again, since it is so short, this can be easily done. The language of the translation sounds a bit archaic to the modern ear, but this does not obscure the meaning at all. Overall, reading this book would be a worthwhile endeavor and as good of a starting point to start reading Kant as they come.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Typos!!!, April 12, 2011

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Daniel K. Clouser (Newport, RI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals (Kindle Edition)

Kant is an important read. It is also fairly dense. This version is so full of typographic errors as to be nearly unreadable. I know that it's free, but this is ridiculous.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good, December 23, 2010

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Roz11e - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fundamental Principles Of The Metaphysic Of Morals (Paperback)

immanuel kant is very well versed and has an in depth knowledge of morality which he explains very well throughout the book. i reccommend it for anybody who is getting into philosophy or for someone who is a philosopher as a refresher. i thinks its more for the novice but a very enlightening read. included inside this is a three part explanation on morality.