Customer Reviews

Kant: The Great Philosophers (The Great Philosophers Series)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Few figures in Western philosophy loom as prominently as Immanuel Kant. Both the Analytic and Continental schools embrace this 18th century thinker as their forebear, but for reasons that diverge like tectonic plates. His "Critique of Pure Reason" stands at the threshold of modern Analytic thought following the epistemological and metaphysical ruminations of Hume and Berkeley. He hoped his system would unify the polarized factions of rationalists and empiricists. Opinions differ on his success. Continentals also trace their lineage back to Kant's ominous 1781/87 "Critique of Pure Reason," but they tend to focus more on this work's dichotomy of intuition and concept. Then via the "other" critiques (1788's "Critique of Practical Reason," and 1790's "Critique of Judgment"), less well known to Analytics, Idealism a la Hegel developed. Kant thus represents a major fork in the road for both schools, though each sees him as a dominant influence. One of his greatest contributions was the distinction between noumena and phenomena, or the difference in what the world "really is" versus our perceptions. This idea still haunts nooks and crannies of 21st century philosophy. Kant's influence extends over this field like a cognitive Big Bang, or, as he so modestly put it, a "Copernican Revolution."

This tiny book, another in "The Great Philosophers" series, discusses very little of Kant's overarching influence. Unlike the volume on Hume, which attempts to canvas the breadth of Hume's thought, this one focuses solely on Kant's moral theory. Other elements of Kant's thought do appear, such as the noumena/phenomena distinction, but only in the context of morality. As such, those looking for a wider view of Kant's world should go elsewhere. Other volumes in this series follow similar lines. Most take one aspect of a philosopher and develop it for 50 or so pages. This approach has pros and cons. One of the biggest cons is management of expectations. Naming a book simply "Kant" heavily implies that that book will attempt to overview and encapsulate Kant's philosophy. Readers need to open the book to discover the "real" title of the essay inside: "Kant and the Moral Law." Some may counter that "you shouldn't judge a book by its cover." Maybe so. In any case, despite the book's laconic title, Kantian initiates will remain uneducated on Kant's total influence and legacy upon finishing this book. They will, however, learn much about Kant's moral theory. In the end, the book would feel more at home in a series called "The Great Moral Philosophers."

That said, the book delineates Kant's moral theory in a lucid and accessible manner. Kant's idea of "objective moral law," "the Categorical Imperative," and "duty" receive felicitous explanation. The author also challenges Kant's depiction as a mere "moral rule maker" as myopic. Citations from other works back this up. According to works such as the "popular" "Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals" and the more academic "The Metaphysics of Morals," reason should guide morality and should dictate that we treat others as ends and not means. In Kant's view, reason even demands this (an "imperative"). Kant's moral theory stands in contrast to consequentialist ethical theories such as Utilitarianism. In that scheme, the outcome reigns. In Kant's sytem, as he states, "I ought never to act except in such a way that I could also will that my maxim should become a universal law." This represents a more sophisticated working of the old parental maxim "what if everyone thought stealing was okay?" The 58-page essay, despite its somewhat misleading context, provides a great introduction to Kant's influential moral theory.

well,up to this time i've always fell not clear about kant.even in the books trying to explain kant.but this book accomplished this problem.i really approve it