Essays on Kant's Anthropology

279 Pages·2003·1.36 MB·English

by  Brian Jacobs

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EssaysonKant’sAnthropology
Kant’s lectures on anthropology capture him at the height of his
intellectual power and at crucial stages in the development of his
philosophicalsystem.Theyarealsoimmenselyimportantforadvanc-
ingourunderstandingofKant’sconceptionofanthropology,itsde-
velopment,andthenotoriouslydifficultrelationshipbetweenitand
thecriticalphilosophy.
This collection of new essays by some of the leading philosophi-
calcommentatorsonKantoffersthefirstcomprehensiveassessment
of the philosophical importance of this material that should never-
thelessproveofinteresttohistoriansofideasandpoliticaltheorists.
There are two broad approaches adopted: A number of the essays
consider the systematic relations of anthropology to the critical
philosophy,especiallyspeculativeknowledgeandethics.Otheressays
focusontheanthropologyasamajorsourcefortheclarificationof
boththecontentanddevelopmentofparticularKantiandoctrines.
The volume will also serve as an interpretative complement to a
forthcomingtranslationofthelecturesintheCambridgeEditionofthe
WorksofImmanuelKant.
Brian Jacobs has taught political philosophy at Cornell University
and is currently president of Akademos, Inc., an Internet company
dedicated to new models of course material distribution for higher
education.
PatrickKainisAssistantProfessorofPhilosophyatPurdueUniversity.

Essays on Kant’s Anthropology
Edited by
BRIAN JACOBS
PATRICK KAIN
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Contents
Contributors pagevii
1 Introduction 1
BrianJacobsandPatrickKain
2 HistoricalNotesandInterpretiveQuestionsabout
Kant’sLecturesonAnthropology 15
WernerStark
3 KantandtheProblemofHumanNature 38
AllenW.Wood
4 TheSecondPartofMorals 60
RobertB.Louden
5 TheGuidingIdeaofKant’sAnthropologyand
theVocationoftheHumanBeing 85
ReinhardBrandt
6 KantianCharacterandtheProblemofaScience
ofHumanity 105
BrianJacobs
7 Beauty,Freedom,andMorality:Kant’sLectures
onAnthropologyandtheDevelopmentofHis
AestheticTheory 135
PaulGuyer
8 Kant’sApologyforSensibility 164
HowardCaygill
v
vi Contents
9 Kant’s“TrueEconomyofHumanNature”:Rousseau,
CountVerri,andtheProblemofHappiness 194
SusanMeldShell
10 PrudentialReasoninKant’sAnthropology 230
PatrickKain
Contributors
REINHARD BRANDT is Professor of Philosophy at Philipps-
Universita¨t, Marburg, and founding director of the Marburger
Kant-Archiv. He is co-editor of Kants gesammelte Schriften, vols. 25
(Vorlesungenu¨berAnthropologie[1997])and26(Vorlesungenu¨ber
physischeGeography[forthcoming]).Heisalsoageneraleditorand
contributor to the series Kant-Forschungen. His recent books include
Kritischer Kommentar zu Kants Anthropologie in pragmatischer Hinsicht
(1798)(1999),D’ArtagnanunddieUrteilstafel.U¨bereinOrdnungsprinzip
dereuropa¨ischenKulturgeschichte1,2,3/4(1991),andZuKantspolitischer
Philosophie(1997).
HOWARD CAYGILL is Professor of Cultural History at Goldsmiths
College, University of London. He is the author of Art of Judgement
(1989),TheKantDictionary(1995),andWalterBenjamin:TheColourof
Experience(1998).
PAULGUYERisFlorenceR.C.MurrayProfessorintheHumanitiesat
theUniversityofPennsylvania.HeisaGeneralEditorofTheCambridge
EditionoftheWorksofImmanuelKant.HispublicationsincludeKanton
Freedom,Law,andHappiness(2000),KantandtheExperienceofFreedom
(1993),KantandtheClaimsofKnowledge(1987),andKantandtheClaims
ofTaste(1979).HeisalsoeditorofKant’sGroundworkoftheMetaphysics
ofMorals:CriticalEssays(1998),TheCritiqueofPureReason(1997),and
TheCambridgeCompaniontoKant(1992).
vii
viii Contributors
BRIAN JACOBS held the positions of Visiting Fellow and Visiting
Assistant Professor at Cornell University, where he also received his
Ph.D.Hispublicationsinclude“DialogicalRationalityandtheCritique
ofAbsoluteAutonomy”(2001)and“Self-incurrence,Incapacity,and
Guilt: Kant and Hamann on Enlightenment Guardianship” (1997).
Heisalsotranslatingthe“Mrongovius”anthropologylectureforThe
Cambridge Edition of the Works of Immanuel Kant and is working on a
book, Self-Determination and Mutual Recognition: Negotiating Autonomy
fromKanttoHabermas.
PATRICK KAINis AssistantProfessorofPhilosophyatPurdueUni-
versity.HeearnedhisPh.D.attheUniversityofNotreDameandwas
Fulbright Graduate Fellow at Eberhard-Karls Universita¨t, Tu¨bingen.
His articles include “A Preliminary Defense of Kantian Prudence”
(2001) and “‘Kant’s Moral Constructivism’ and His Conception of
Legislation”(1999).
ROBERT B. LOUDEN is Professor of Philosophy at the University
ofSouthernMaine.HeisauthorofKant’sImpureEthics:FromRational
BeingstoHumanBeings(2000)andMoralityandMoralTheory:AReap-
praisal and Reaffirmation (1992) and a co-editor of the anthology The
GreeksandUs(1996).Heisalsoco-editorandco-translatorofLectureson
AnthropologyandAnthropology,History,andEducationforTheCambridge
EditionoftheWorksofImmanuelKant.
SUSANMELDSHELLisProfessorofPoliticalScienceatBostonCol-
lege. She is author of The Embodiment of Reason: Kant on Generation,
Spirit,andCommunity(1996)andTheRightsofReason:AStudyofKant’s
PhilosophyandPolitics(1980).
WERNER STARK is Honorarprofessor at Philipps-Universita¨t, Mar-
burg, and wissenschaftlicher Angestellter, Berlin-Brandenburgische
Akademie der Wissenschaften: Arbeitsstelle Kant-Ausgabe, Potsdam.
He is co-editor of Kants gesammelte Schriften, vols. 25 (Vorlesungen
u¨ber Anthropologie [1997]) and 26 (Vorlesungen u¨ber physische
Geographie [forthcoming]). He is also author of Nachforschungen zu
BriefenundHandschriftenImmanuelKants(1993)andageneraleditor
andcontributortotheseriesKant-Forschungen.
ALLEN W. WOOD is Ward W. and Priscilla B. Woods Professor
of Philosophy at Stanford University. He is a General Editor of The