Kant: The Three Critiques

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Polity, Aug 4, 2006 - Philosophy - 253 pages

Immanuel Kants three critiques the Critique of Pure Reason, the Critique of Practical Reason and the Critique of Judgment are among the pinnacles of Western Philosophy. This accessible study grounds Kants philosophical position in the context of his intellectual influences, most notably against the background of the scepticism and empiricism of David Hume. It is an ideal critical introduction to Kants views in the key areas of knowledge and metaphysics; morality and freedom; and beauty and design.

By examining the Kantian system in the light of contemporary arguments, Ward brings the structure and force of Kants Copernican Revolution in Philosophy into sharp focus. Kant is often misrepresented as a somewhat dry thinker, yet the clarity of Wards exposition of his main themes, science, morality and aesthetics, through the three critiques brings his writings and theories to life. Lucidly and persuasively written, this book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars seeking to understand Kants immense influence.

 

Contents

A General Introduction to Kants Copernican Revolution in Philosophy and its Relation to Scientific Knowledge and Transcendent Metaphysics
3
The Division of Judgments and the Status of Mathematics and Natural Science
16
The Nature of Space and Time
30
How Our Experience Our Knowledge of Objects in Space and Time is Made Possible
46
Why No Theoretical Knowledge in Transcendent Metaphysics is Possible
104
Reason not Sentiment as the Foundation of Morality and how Freedom of the Will is Proved
141
How Morality Establishes the Existence of God and the Immortality of the Soul
167
The Importance of Kants Copernican Revolution to his Moral Philosophy
173
Defending a Third Way between an Empiricist and a Traditional Rationalist Theory of Taste and Beauty
183
Why the Judgement of Taste and out Attitude to Natural Beauty Require a Copernican Revolution in Aesthetics
211
A Kantian or an Empiricist Theory of Taste?
220
Teleology and the Principle of the Finality of Nature
227
Bibliography
239
Index
242
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About the author (2006)

Andrew Ward is lecturer in Philosophy at the University of York.

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