Author:

Keywords:

Arts & Humanities, Philosophy, Grace, Irrationalism, Pedagogy, Pessimism

Abstract:

Kant's concept of grace in Religio within The Bounds of Mere Reason is a difficult topic exegetically speaking. Obviously enough. Kant subscribes positively to a notion of divine assistance. This appears awkward given Iiis rationalist ethics rooted in personal autonomy. This has given cause to interpreters of Kant's philosophy of religion-both early commentators and today -to read Kant's account of giace is uniquely rationalist. This would make grace a rational expectation given personal commitment to good works. Hie argument of this paper is that giace is a hyperrationalist element in Kant's practical philosophy because of the potentially problematic consequences of Kant's views of human nature. Human nature is namely not particularly prone to be responsive to the rational moral law and therefore requires a number of pedagogical tools that facilitate moral agency.