Freedom and the End of Reason : On the Moral Foundation of Kant’s Critical Philosophy.

In __Freedom and the End of Reason__, Richard L. Velkley offers an influential interpretation of the central issue of Kant’s philosophy and an evaluation of its position within modern philosophy’s larger history. He persuasively argues that the whole of Kantianism—not merely the Second Critique—focuses on a “critique of practical reason” and is a response to a problem that Kant saw as intrinsic to reason itself: the teleological problem of its goodness. Reconstructing the influence of Rousseau on Kant’s thought, Velkley demonstrates that the relationship between speculative philosophy and practical philosophy in Kant is far more intimate than generally has been perceived. By stressing a Rousseau-inspired notion of reason as a provider of practical ends, he is able to offer an unusually complete account of Kant’s idea of moral culture.

Richard L. Velkley offers a new interpretation of the central issue of Kant's philosophy and a new evaluation of its position within the history of modern philosophy. He persuasively argues that the whole of Kantianism, not merely the Second Critique, is really a "critique of practical reason" and a response to a problem Kant saw as intrinsic to reason: the teleological problem of reason's goodness. By stressing a Rousseau-inspired notion of reason as a provider of practical ends, Velkley also is able to offer an unusually complete account of Kant's idea of moral culture.

Drawing upon Kant's precritical writing of the 1760s, Velkley effectively argues that Rousseau showed Kant that the purely instrumental view of reason as the mere slave of passions—a view advanced by such Enlightenment thinkers as Hobbes, Locke, and Hume—was self-defeating. Their modern conception of reason attempts to emancipate humanity from superhuman powers and authorities, but it paradoxically brings about the deeper enslavement of humanity to its own artifacts and passions. Rousseau's thought provided Kant with certain decisive elements in his account of reason, especially through a new concept of freedom, that enabled Kant to establish the foundation for a coherent version of the Enlightenment, one that reconciles modern emancipation from "dogmatism" with the human need for the sacred, the noble, and the beautiful.

In reconstructing the influence of Rousseau on Kant's thought, Velkley demonstrates that the relation between speculative philosophy and practical philosophy in Kant is far more intimate than has been generally perceived. The "dialogue" of Kant with Rousseau in the 1760s begins the debate on the soundness of the modern "enlightenment" understanding of the relation of reason to society and the human good, a debate that is continued by the major Continental philosophers. Velkley's formidable study establishes that the later modern reforms—new ideas of freedom, history, and culture, which replace human nature as the ground for knowledge of the human good—have their primary roots in Kant's encounter with Rousseau.

Contents 10 Preface 12 Acknowledgments 16 Abbreviations 18 Introduction 24 The Problem of the End of Reason in Kant’s Philosophy 24 The Primacy of the Practical End of Reason 27 Rousseau’s Insight 29 The Highest Good and the End of Reason 31 A Prospectus of the Argument 34 1. The Revolution in the End of Reason: Some Principal Themes 40 The Revision of Modern Foundations 40 The Critique of Instrumental Reason 45 The Crisis in the Relation of Metaphysics to Common Reason 50 Rousseau’s Protest against Modern Enlightenment 55 Kantian Philosophy as Transcendental Practice 62 2. The Teleological Problem in Modern Individualism 67 Individualism and Moral Sense 67 Rousseau’s Challenge to Moral Sense 72 The Teleological Problem in Rousseau 75 3. Kant‘s Discovery of a Solution, 1764- 65 84 History, Nature, and Perfection 84 Will, Reason, and Spontaneity 90 The Analysis of Passion: Honor and Benevolence 97 Justice and Equality 102 Common Reason and the End of Science 107 4. The origins of Modern Moral idealism, 1765-80 112 The Unity of Freedom and Nature as Ideal Goal 112 The Failures of Ancient Moral Idealism 118 Morality as System 126 Socratic Metaphysics as Science of the End and the Limit of Reason 134 The Dialectic of the Pure Concepts of the Whole 139 5. Culture and the Practical Interpretation of The End of Reason, 1781-1800 159 The Ultimate End of Theoretical Inquiry 159 Philosophy’s ”Idea” and Its History 168 Culture’s Contradictions and Their Ideal Resolution 175 Epilogue 187 Notes 192 Index 242 1 The Revolution In The End Of Reason: Some Principal Themes 17 -- The Revision Of Modern Foundations 17 -- The Critique Of Instrumental Reason 22 -- The Crisis In The Relation Of Metaphysics To Common Reason 27 -- Rousseau's Protest Against Modern Enlightenment 32 -- Kantian Philosophy As Transcendental Practice 39 -- 2 The Teleological Problem In Modern Individualism 44 -- Individualism And Moral Sense 44 -- Rousseau's Challenge To Moral Sense 49 -- The Teleological Problem In Rousseau 52 -- 3 Kant's Discovery Of A Solution, 1764-65 61 -- History, Nature, And Perfection 61 -- Will, Reason, And Spontaneity 67 -- The Analysis Of Passion: Honor And Benevolence 74 -- Justice And Equality 79 -- Common Reason And The End Of Science 84 -- 4 The Origins Of Modern Moral Idealism, 1765-80 89 -- The Unity Of Freedom And Nature As Ideal Goal 89 -- The Failures Of Ancient Moral Idealism 95 -- Morality As System 103 -- Socratic Metaphysics As Science Of The End And The Limit Of Reason 111 -- The Dialectic Of The Pure Concepts Of The Whole 116 -- 5 Culture And The Practical Interpretation Of The End Of Reason, 1781-1800 136 -- The Ultimate End Of Theoretical Inquiry 136 -- Philosophy's Idea And Its History 145 -- Culture's Contradictions And Their Ideal Resolution 152. Richard L. Velkley. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 169-217) And Index. "Call him Ishmael . . . Ishmael Jones. He's used to keeping a low profile, living under the radar and on the dark side of the road. He makes his living solving mysteries and uncovering dark secrets some would prefer to stay hidden. But when he's invited by his employer-a man known only as "The Colonel"-to spend Christmas at the Colonel's sprawling country house, Ishmael Jones decides to come in from the dark for some holiday cheer. Jones arrives at the remote Belancourt Manor in the midst of a blizzard only to discover that the Colonel has gone missing. It soon becomes clear that the guests are harboring dark secrets-and that it will be up to Ishmael Jones to stop a savage killer. A locked-room, country house mystery with a supernatural twist as only Simon R. Green could write it"-- Provided by publisher Reconstructing the influence of Rousseau on Kant's thought, the author demonstrates that the relationship between speculative philosophy and practical philosophy in Kant is far more intimate than generally has been perceived. He offers an unusually complete account of Kant's idea of moral culture.