Kant on Freedom and Human Nature (Routledge Studies in Eighteenth-Century Philosophy)

The essays in this volume provide new readings of Kant’s account of human nature. Despite the relevance of human nature to Kant’s philosophy, little attention has been paid to the fact that the question about human nature originally pertains to pure reason. The chapters in this volume show that Kant’s point is not to state once and for all what the human being actually is, but to unite pure reason’s efforts within a unitary teleological perspective. The question about human nature is the cornerstone of reason’s unity in its different activities and domains. Kant’s question about human nature goes beyond our empirical inquiries to show that the notion of humanity represents the point of convergence and unity of pure reason’s most fundamental interests. Kant on Freedom and Human Nature will appeal to scholars and advanced students working on Kant’s philosophy. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents List of Abbreviations List of Contributors Introduction: Human Freedom and Human Nature PART I: The Legislation of the Realm of Freedom 1. Freedom Within Nature 2. Kant’s Answer to the Question “What Is the Human Being?” 3. What Is Humanity? 4. Maximizing Freedom? Paul Guyer on the Value of Freedom and Reason in Kant 5. Putting Freedom First: Some Reflections on Paul Guyer’s Interpretation of Kant’s Moral Theory PART II: The Legislation of the Realm of Nature 6. Kant on the Exhibition (Darstellung) of Infinite Magnitudes 7. The Problem of Intersubjectivity in Kant’s Critical Philosophy 8. Kant on Conviction and Persuasion PART III: Bridging the Gulf between the Realms of Nature and Freedom 9. Why Is There Something, Rather than Nothing? Kant on the Final End of Creation 10. Kant’s Philosophy of History, as Response to Existential Despair 11. Mendelssohn and Kant on Human Progress: A Neo-Stoic Debate 12. Aesthetic Subjectivity in Ugly Matters: A Comparison Between Kant and Mendelssohn Postscript: Kant on Freedom and Human Nature: Responses Index