Socrates Meets Kant: The Father of Philosophy Meets His Most Influential Modern Child [Paperback]

Peter Kreeft (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009

Immanuel Kant is one of the greatest philosophers in history. But, as Peter Kreeft notes in this book, Kant is really two philosophers - a philosopher about how we know things (epistemology) and a philosopher of right and wrong (ethics). If he had written only on either topic, he would still be the most important and influential of the modern philosophers. The combination of the two, though, makes for a formidable thinker, one it would take a figure such as the Father of Philosophy, the relentless Socrates, to confront.

Confront he does, in Peter Kreeft's next installment of the popular Socrates Meets series. Set in the afterlife, the conversation between the two great minds lays out the key issues. Kreeft's Socrates reflects what the historical philosopher would likely have made of Kant's ideas, while also recognizing the greatness, genius, and insightfulness of Kant. The result of their dialogues is a helpful, highly readable, even amusing book, useful for beginner as well as master.

Kant's philosophy of knowing truly is a ''Copernican revolution in philosophy'' as he dubbed it. His ethics was intended to set out the rational grounds for morality. Did he achieve his goals? What would Socrates say about the matter? Dr. Kreeft has written a book no student of modern thought should be without.

Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586173480
• ISBN-13: 978-1586173487
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 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: #527,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Peter J. Kreeft (Ph.D., Fordham University) is professor of philosophy at Boston College where he has taught since 1965. A popular lecturer, he has also taught at many other colleges, seminaries and educational institutions in the eastern United States. Kreeft has written more than sixty-seven books, including The Best Things in Life, Christianity for Modern Pagans, Fundamentals of the Faith and The Handbook of Christian Apologetics.

Dr. Kreeft's MP3 audio lectures can be purchased on Amazon, such as
"Christianity in Lord of the Rings".

Free articles, audio lectures, the speaking schedule and more info from Dr. Peter Kreeft can be found at his popular web site:
http://www.peterkreeft.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humerous introduction to Kant, January 31, 2010

By 

Michael J. Whinihan "designated polymath" (Troy, Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Socrates Meets Kant: The Father of Philosophy Meets His Most Influential Modern Child (Paperback)

Peter Kreeft always informs in his well written books on philosophy and theology. This book, like the others in this series, has Socrates in heaven using the Socratic method on a famous philosopher with both insight and humor. In this book, he questions one of the three most influential Western philosophers, Immanuel Kant. Since Kant is famous both for his metaphysics in "Critique of Pure Reason" and his Categorical Imperative, Socrates asks him questions about both topics, making this book about twice as long as others in the series. I recommend this book for anyone interested in philosophy and for bewildered philosophy students like myself who are intimidated by Kant's heavy prose.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sympathetic but unrelenting cross-examination of Kant, March 1, 2011

By 

R. S. Corzine (Steubenville, OH United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Socrates Meets Kant: The Father of Philosophy Meets His Most Influential Modern Child (Paperback)

Peter Kreeft imagines a "conversation beyond the grave" in which Socrates, History's great questioner, cross-examines Immanuel Kant on his two landmark books, the "Critique of Pure Reason" and "Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals." Especially if you are among the many people who have started but never had the intestinal fortitude to finish Kant's turgid tomes, this book is a godsend. Kreeft's Socrates is sympathetic but unrelenting, just like Plato's. But he also has the benefit of hindsight.

Kant is one of the most influential thinkers of the modern age, a true "maker of the modern mind;" many of our contemporaries are his unwitting disciples and intellectual descendants. Like it or not, we live in the aftermath of his self-described "Copernican revolution in philosophy." Given, then, that it is foolish to ignore him and painful to read him, we owe Dr. Kreeft a great debt of gratitude for this lucid critical explication of his thought. As in the earlier volumes, Dr. Kreeft is careful to engage Kant in his own words and on his own terms; this is no strong man vs. straw man contest. An excellent addition to the series.