Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone (Torchbooks) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The Enlightenment, which began in the seventeenth century and flourished in the eighteenth, constitutes one of the great spiritual movements of modern Europe..." (more)
Key Phrases: dispositional act, pure religious faith, ecclesiastical faith, Kemp Smith, Opus Postumum, Critique of Judgment (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A Monumental Figure of Western Thought Wrestles with the Question of God

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is one of the most influential philosophers in the history of Western philosophy. His contributions have had a profound impact on almost every philosophical movement that followed him.

Kant's teachings on religion were unorthodox in that they were based on rationality rather than revelation. Though logically proving God's existence might be impossible, it is morally reasonable to "act as if there be a God." His strictly rational approach was considered so scandalous that the King of Prussia forbid him to teach or write further on religious subjects, which Kant obeyed until the king's death.

A work of major importance in the history of Western religious thought, Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone represents a great philosopher's attempt to spell out the form and content of a type of religion grounded in moral reason and meeting the needs of an ethical life.

About the Author

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was born in KÖnigsberg, Prussia, where he remained his entire life. His others works include Critique of Pure Reason and Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (May 25, 1960)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061300675
• ISBN-13: 978-0061300677
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #238,884 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What can be done in the space between your ears!, July 17, 2001

By	E. M. Dale (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Let me state up front that I do not think Kant succeeded in what he tried to do in this book. That caveat in place, Kant's book a fine attempt at grounding religious belief in something other than revelation. Now, of course that might ruffle a few feathers on both sides of the belief-fence (as it did in his day, and will continue to do), but that was Kant's goal in this text. However, no understanding of Kant's reasoning in this book (or any other of his works) can be complete without taking into account the Lutheran Pietism in which he was raised. (Regarding the review below, Kant was never Roman Catholic; the Lutheran streak is part of what made Kant who he was, for good or ill.) The subjectivism of his Pietist background had an almost incalculable affect on Kant's philosophy and metaphysics. As a matter of fact, the subjectivist principle of his "Copernican revolution" in philosophy could arguably be seen as a natural outgrowth of the personalism that his Lutheran Pietist upbringing gave to him. Members of the Pietist sects current in Kant's day believed that religion should be realized, contained, and held deep within the inner self. They also held that religion should be expressed through simplicity and obedience to moral law. Hence, to oversimplify, we get Kant's famous "starry heavens above and the moral law within" as the two things which fill him "with ever increasing wonder."

Kant was convinced that the moral basis of religion, specifically the Christian religion, was available to any and all by introspection and meditation. In this work, he sets out to show why that is the case and how it could be achieved. Kant's anti-supernaturalist project of Kant's book is explicit from the beginning, though I should point out that, as in his Critique of Pure Reason, Kant certainly does not refuse to entertain ideas such as miracles and such. He simply says that they are not he purview of speculative philosophy. This could become a naive fideism, but with Kant it (arguably) never does. What Kant wants to do is plain in his title, and clear in his text: develop the idea of religion strictly within the bounds of reason, alone. For Kant, pure philosophy was the realm of human reason, and within that realm (at least pushing against the antinomies) religion could be found and established. Anything beyond that was simply beyond the ability and thus the interest of philosophy.

This is a great translation and as good an introduction to reading Kant as any of his works.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Which translation?, October 8, 2006

By	Kawatteru "kawatteru" - See all my reviews

I assume that this "Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone" is a different translation of the same book entitled by another publisher as "Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason." The question is, which is better and for what reasons?

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bought for mom... , January 16, 2008

By	jgUNCCrugby "Jason" (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

I can only say that regarding this book I bought it for my mother, whom is well educated and she found it to be a challenging read.

I purchased it based on the recomendation of a professor I was friends with, probably where I went wrong. I think conseptually it was a solid book based on the feedback I received, it was just challenging.