Eros, accusation and uncertainty: Kantian ethics after Freud

Adam J. Graves

Abstract

In examining what he calls “a Freudian hermeneutics of suspicion,” Adam Graves explains that Ricoeur uses Freud’s work to undermine certain aspects of Kant’s practical philosophy. Ricoeur claims that practical reason - contrary to what Kant proposes - is not pure and a priori, but has its roots in our human desires. However, according to Graves, Ricoeur’s Freudian critique of Kant misses its mark since Kantian ethics (and the normativity that underpins it) already addresses similar suspicions about practical reason. According to Graves, it is then possible to base the mediation between desire and normativity on a broad conception of action in Kant.

Eros, accusation and uncertainty: Kantian ethics after Freud

From the book Le mal et la symbolique

Abstract

Chapters in this book (32)