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

ISBN: 0226852601

Author: Velkley, Richard L.

Condition: New

In Freedom and the End of Reason, Richard L. Velkley offers an influential interpretation of the central issue of Kants philosophy and an evaluation of its position within modern philosophys 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 Kants 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 Kants idea of moral culture.