Kant on the radical evil of human nature
Philosophical Forum 38 (3):221–245 (2007)
| Abstract | In ‘Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason’ Kant presents his thesis that human nature is ‘radically evil’. To be radically evil is to have a propensity toward moral frailty, impurity and even perversity. Kant claims that all humans are ‘by nature’ radically evil. By presenting counter-examples of moral saints, I argue that not all humans are morally corrupt, even if most are. Even so, the possibility of moral failure is central to what makes us human. | |||||||||
| Keywords | Kant Radical Evil | |||||||||
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