Immanuel Kant

This 1790 polemic by one of philosophy's most important and influential figures attempts to establish the principles that support the faculty of judgment. Kant's third critique -- after Critique of Practical Reason and Critique of Pure Reason -- remains one of the most important works on human reason. The Critique of Judgment informs the very basis of modern aesthetics by establishing the almost universally accepted framework for debate of aesthetic issues. As in his previous critiques, Kant seeks to establish a priori principles. The first part of this work addresses aesthetic sensibility. The human response to specific natural phenomena as beautiful, he asserts, is a recognition of nature's harmonious order that corresponds to a mental need for order. The critique's second half focuses on the apparent teleology in nature's design of organisms. The philosopher declares that the mind is predisposed to find purpose and order in nature, and this predisposition forms the main principle underlying all our judgments. Although this could be interpreted as an argument in favor of a creator, Kant insists that a supernatural dimension or the existence of God cannot be proven -- such considerations lie beyond the realm of reason, solely within the province of faith.

Immanuel Kant ist nicht nur der größte Philosoph deutscher Sprache, er ist vielleicht der größte Denker aller Zeiten. Wenn man seine Lehre kennenlernt, komme dies - so sagt Schopenhauer - einer zweiten Geburt gleich. Die vorliegende Auswahl vereinigt die schönsten und grundlegendsten Gedanken Kants und erschließt auf einfache Weise das umfangreiche, ohne Vorkenntnisse schwer zugängliche Gesamtwerk.

"Kritik af dømmekraften" er den tredje (og sidste) af Kants store Kritik´er, gennem hvilke han genoptager filosofiens store, antikke temaer om det sande, det gode og det skønne - via den RENE, den PRAKTISKE og den hhv. æstetisk og teleologisk DØMMENDE fornuft. Kald det erkendelsesteori, etik og æstetik, men bemærk i Kants tilfælde, at den sidste og æstetiske/teleologiske Kritik griber tilbage til den første – om den rene fornuft – og gentænker hele systematikken eller progressionen. Den ÆSTETISKE dømmekraft handler om det skønne (modsat det hæslige), både det naturskønne og det kunstskønne, der har mennesket inde over – og både det SKØNNE som sådan (smagens almene primat) og det OPHØJEDE (det sublime), der på Kants tid betegnede noget andet end i dag: det voldsomme, frygtindgydende, som dog finder et forsonende og tankefuldt udtryk – fra skælven og frygt til ro og afklaret velbehag. Den æstetiske dømmekraft nødvendiggør en række kriterier eller spilleregler, hvis dommen skal være objektiv og stå til troende, og Kant formulerer derfor disse – ´det interesseløse velbehag´ osv. Dertil kommer diskussionen af, hvad kunst er, som Kant slipper udenom ved introducere talen om GENIET, den autonome, selvlovgivende instans, hvis værk som kunst ikke står til diskussion - en ulykkelig tanke, der siden har forfulgt os, især såkaldte kunstnere. I værkets anden del handler det om den teleologiske dømmekraft, dvs. vores evne – tilbøjelighed - til at se (og dømme om) hensigtsmæssighed – i sær i naturen – hvor den ikke findes. Eller hvor den reelt kun findes på en kontingent måde - som et tilfælde, der forblænder os og bilder os ind, at bag det hele må der stå en vis skabergud. Kant medgiver denne tilbøjelighed – grænsende til sandsynlighed – men afviser i sidste instans, at vor forestilling om hensigtsmæssighed skulle bevise eksistensen af Gud. Grænsen bliver atter trukket skarpt om: Der er det, vi ved, og det, vi gerne vil vide, men reelt ikke ved - ikke kan vide. The rest is silence. Oversat af Claus Bratt Østergaard.

"Introduction to Logic" might just as well be entitled An Introduction to Kant's Thought, for it serves as an excellent introduction to Immanuel Kant's entire philosophy, a philosophy that is generally overwhelming when approached from any of his other books. To the student and scholar of Kant's thought, the "Logic" can shed new and interesting light on logic, aesthetics and moral reasoning.

What is morally permissible, and what is morally obligatory? These questions form the core of a vast amount of philosophical reasoning. In this landmark work, Kant proposes the concept of a maxim, which functions as a guide to appropriate action under a given set of circumstances. By universalizing the maxim, morally permissible and obligatory behavior becomes clear. The German philosopher''s test, known as the Categorical Imperative, is a logical proof of the Golden Rule and the centerpiece of this work. It constitutes Kant''s best-known contribution to ethical discussion, and a familiarity with its constituents is essential to students of philosophy, religion, and history.

This volume provides an extensive translation of the notes and fragments that survived Kant's death in 1804. These include marginalia, lecture notes, and sketches and drafts for his published works. They are important as an indispensable resource for understanding Kant's intellectual development and published works, casting fresh light on Kant's conception of his own philosophical methods and his relations to his predecessors, as well as on central doctrines of his work such as the theory of space, time and categories, the refutations of scepticism and metaphysical dogmatism, the theory of the value of freedom and the possibility of free will, the conception of God, the theory of beauty, and much more.

Few books have had as great an impact on intellectual history as Kant's The Moral Law. In its short compass one of the greatest minds in the history of philosophy attempts to identify the fundamental principle 'morality' that governs human action. Supported by a clear introduction and detailed summary of the argument, this is not only an essential text for students but also the perfect introduction for any reader who wishes to encounter at first hand the mind of one of the finest and most influential thinkers of all time.

Die"Vorlesung über Moralphilosophie" aus den 1770er Jahren ist eine wichtige Erläuterung und Ergänzung zur "Grundlegung der Metaphysik der Sitten"von 1785. Die Neuedition der so genannten Menzer-Vorlesung präsentiert diese Vorlesung auf dem aktuellen Stand der Forschung. Zugrunde gelegt ist die Nachschrift Kaehler, die seit 1997 zum Kant-Archiv in Marburg gehört. Abgeglichen ist der Text mit mehreren Handschriften des Archivs der Berlin-Bandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Staatsbibliothek Berlin. Ein Anhang mit textkritischem Apparat und Erläuterungen zu Literatur und Personen sowie eine Einleitung von Manfred Kühn erschließen die Vorlesung für alle, die sich für die Kant'sche Philosophie der Ethik interessieren.

Kant was centrally concerned with issues in the philosophy of natural science throughout his career. The Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science presents his most mature reflections on these themes in the context of both his 'critical' philosophy, presented in the Critique of Pure Reason, and the natural science of his time. This volume presents a translation by Michael Friedman which is especially clear and accurate. There are explanatory notes indicating some of the main connections between the argument of the Metaphysical Foundations and the first Critique - as well as parallel connections to Newton's Principia. The volume is completed by an historical and philosophical introduction and a guide to further reading.

Kant was centrally concerned with issues in the philosophy of natural science throughout his career. The Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science presents his most mature reflections on these themes in the context of both his ‘critical’ philosophy, presented in the Critique of Pure Reason, and the natural science of his time. This volume presents a new translation, by Michael Friedman, which is especially clear and accurate. There are explanatory notes indicating some of the main connections between the argument of the Metaphysical Foundations and the first Critique - as well as parallel connections to Newton's Principia. The volume is completed by an historical and philosophical introduction and a guide to further reading.

Kant’s views on logic and logical theory play an important part in his critical writings, especially the Critique of Pure Reason. However, since he published only one short essay on the subject, we must turn to texts derived from his logic lectures to understand his views. This volume includes three previously untranslated transcripts of Kant’s logic lectures: the Blomberg Logic (1770s), the Vienna Logic supplemented by the recently discovered Hechsel Logic (1780s), and the Dohna-Wundlacken Logic (1790s). Also included is a new translation of the Jäsche Logic, compiled at Kant’s request from his lectures and published in 1800, and concordances relating Kant’s lectures to Georg Friedrich Meier’s Excerpts from the Doctrine of Reason, the book on which Kant lectured throughout his life and in which he left extensive notes.