Summary
Immanuel Kant's *Critique of Practical Reason* argues that the moral law is a fact of reason, an undeniable principle accessible through our practical faculty, which demonstrates the freedom of the will and the reality of a supersensible world. This work establishes the supreme principle of morality, showing how it originates not from empirical experience or subjective inclinations but from pure reason itself. The book aims to secure the possibility of metaphysics by demonstrating that freedom, as a postulate of practical reason, can be known to be real even if it cannot be theoretically proven.
This second critique situates itself within Kant's broader critical project, detailing its relationship to his ethics and its practical purpose. It offers an illuminating outline of Kant's argument regarding the moral law and its implications for understanding human agency and the existence of things beyond sensory perception. Readers gain insight into Kant's systematic philosophical approach to morality and the metaphysical foundations that support it.
Key concepts
- Moral law — A principle of morality derived from pure reason, not empirical experience.
- Practical reason — The faculty of reason concerned with action and the determination of the will.
- Freedom of the will — The capacity of agents to make choices independent of deterministic causes.
- Supersensible world — A realm of existence that transcends sensory experience.
From the book
Description: With this volume, Werner Pluhar completes his work on Kant's three Critiques, an accomplishment unique among English language translators of Kant. At once accurate, fluent, and accessible, Pluhar's rendition of the Critique of Practical Reason meets the standards set in his widely respected translations of the Critique of Judgment (1987) and the Critique of Pure Reason (1996). Stephen Engstrom's Introduction discusses the place of the second Critique in Kant's critical philosophy, its relation to Kant's ethics, and its practical purpose and provides an illuminating outline of Kant's argument.
Snippet: With this volume, Werner Pluhar completes his work on Kant's three Critiques, an accomplishment unique among English language translators of Kant.