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What reasons do we have to be moral, and are these reasons more
compelling than the reasons we have to pursue non-moral projects?
Ever since the Sophists first raised this question, it has been a
focal point of debate. Why be Moral? is a collection of new essays
on this fundamental philosophical problem, written by an
international team of leading scholars in the field.
Although they were not written by Kant himself, the transcripts of
his lectures constitute an important source for philosophical
research today. Some of the contributions presented in this volume
discuss the authenticity and significance of these transcripts, for
example the status of Kant's lectures on logic and anthropology,
while others shed light on the historical formation of specific
writings, for instance the texts on the philosophy of religion. The
contributions provide new insights into Kant's philosophy, that, if
looking at Kant's published writings alone, we would not be able to
gain. In a number of cases, a critical analysis of Kant's lectures
gives us a better understanding of his published works. Thus his
lectures on metaphysics shed new light on his Critique of Pure
Reason, while the lecture on natural law is a valuable source for
the understanding of his published legal writings.
The World We Want compares the future world that Enlightenment
intellectuals had hoped for with our own world at present. In what
respects do the two worlds differ, and why are they so different?
To what extent is and isn't our world the world they wanted, and to
what extent do we today still want their world? Unlike previous
philosophical critiques and defenses of the Enlightenment, the
present study focuses extensively on the relevant historical and
empirical record first, by examining carefully what kind of future
Enlightenment intellectuals actually hoped for; second, by tracking
the different legacies of their central ideals over the past two
centuries.
But in addition to documenting the significant gap that still
exists between Enlightenment ideals and current realities, the
author also attempts to show why the ideals of the Enlightenment
still elude us. What does our own experience tell us about the
appropriateness of these ideals? Which Enlightenment ideals do not
fit with human nature? Why is meaningful support for these ideals,
particularly within the US, so weak at present? Which of the means
that Enlightenment intellectuals advocated for realizing their
ideals are inefficacious? Which of their ideals have devolved into
distorted versions of themselves when attempts have been made to
realize them? How and why, after more than two centuries, have we
still failed to realize the most significant Enlightenment ideals?
In short, what is dead and what is living in these ideals?
"The author should be applauded for the manner in which he is able
to successfully combine philosophical investigation with empirical
research. The frequent citing of original sources, especially those
of Kant, as well as a rich collection of endnotes, make this volume
an important contribution to Early Modern Philosophy and
Enlightenment studies. But perhaps most important, this is a text
that should resonate with any member of the educated citizenry who
perceives the discrepancy between Enlightenment ideals and current
realities and is deeply troubled by the current state of our
world."-- The Review of Metaphysics
"This book will interest readers seeking to familiarize themselves
with Enlightenment views on the issues discussed."-- CHOICE
"Rich in empirical study and powerful in philosophical analysis,
Louden's book belies everybody who declares the Enlightenment
project dead. Once again the author of Kant's Impure Ethics
presents an impressive volume."--Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
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