Kursinformation

It is a fundamental thought of philosophy that reasoning divides into two distinct but related kinds. There is theoretical reasoning, which seeks to specify what to think. And there is practical reasoning, which seeks to specify what to do. Each kind of reasoning has its own form and is governed by its own measure of correctness. And, in each case, this measure is comprehended through (and only through) the form of the reasoning in question. In the case of theoretical reasoning, the measure of correctness is truth. And in the case of practical reasoning, the measure of correctness is the good. To articulate the idea of truth -- the object of scientific knowledge -- just is to articulate the form of theoretical reasoning. And to articulate the idea of the good -- the object of moral or ethical knowledge -- just is to articulate the form of practical reasoning. Or so this fundamental thought maintains. However, at least in the case of the idea of the good, this fundamental thought is often not accepted. In this seminar, we shall explore how one of the greatest of all philosophers sought to develop this fundamental thought, and to reveal its necessity -- namely, Kant.  

To do this, we shall read Stephen Engstrom’s magisterial book on Kant’s practical philosophy, The Form of Practical Knowledge: A Study of the Categorical Imperative (Harvard, 2008). All students will need to get hold of a copy of this book.