Kant's Conception of Freedom: A Developmental and Critical Analysis
Cambridge University Press, 5/20/2021
EAN 9781316508466, ISBN10: 1316508463
Paperback, 556 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 3.2 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
Although a good deal has been written about Kant's conception of free will in recent years, there has been no serious attempt to examine in detail the development of his views on the topic. This book endeavours to remedy the situation by tracing Kant's thoughts on free will from his earliest discussions of it in the 1750s through to his last accounts in the 1790s. This developmental approach is of interest for at least two reasons. First, it shows that the path that led Kant to view freedom as a transcendental power that is both radically distinct from and compatible with the causality of nature was a winding one. Second, it indicates that, despite the variety of views of free will that Kant held at various times, the concept occupied a central place in his thought, because it was the point of union between his theoretical and practical philosophy.
1. Kant`s writings of the 1750s and the place in them of the free will issue
2. Kant`s theoretical philosophy in the early 1760s and its relation to his conception of freedom
3. Kant`s moral philosophy in the early 1760s
4. Kant`s dialogue with Rousseau
5. From the 'great light' to the 'silent decade'
Kant`s thoughts on free will from 1769–1780
6. Kant`s account of free will in the Critique of Pure Reason
7. From the Critique of Pure Reason to the Groundwork
8. The fact of reason and freedom in the Critique of Practical Reason
9. The Critique of the Power of Judgment and the transition from nature to freedom
10. After the Critique of the Power of Judgment
Kant`s final thoughts on free will.