Kant on the Highest Moral-Physical Good: The Social Aspect of Kant's Moral Philosophy

In §88, entitled ‘On the highest moral-physical good’, in his Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View (hereafter Anthropology for short), Kant argues that ‘good living’ (physical good) and ‘true humanity’ (moral good) best harmonize in a ‘good meal in good company’. The conversation and company shared over a meal, Kant argues, best provides for the ‘union of social good living with virtue’ in a way that promotes ‘true humanity’. This occurs when the inclination to ‘good living’ is not merely kept within the bounds of ‘the law of virtue’ but where the two achieve a graceful harmony. As such, it is not to be confused with Kant's well-known account of the ‘highest good’, happiness in proportion to virtue. But how is it that the humble dinner party and the associated practices of hospitality come to hold such an important, if often unrecognized, place as the highest moral-physical good in Kant's thought? This question is in need of further investigation. Of the most recent studies in English that have taken seriously the importance of Kant's Anthropology for understanding his wider moral philosophy, very few have considered §88 in any depth. This paper aims to help bridge this signifcant gap in the literature.36 page(s

Hermeneutics and Nature

This paper contributes to the on-going research into the ways in which the humanities transformed the natural sciences in the late Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Centuries. By investigating the relationship between hermeneutics -- as developed by Herder -- and natural history, it shows how the methods used for the study of literary and artistic works played a crucial role in the emergence of key natural-scientific fields, including geography and ecology

Abschriften von zwei Briefen Kants an Hamann vom 6. April 1774 und 8. April 1774

ABSCHRIFTEN VON ZWEI BRIEFEN KANTS AN HAMANN VOM 6. APRIL 1774 UND 8. APRIL 1774 Abschriften von zwei Briefen Kants an Hamann vom 6. April 1774 und 8. April 1774 ( - ) Einband ( - ) An Hamann. den 6ten April 1774 ( - ) An eben denselben. den 8ten April 1774. ( - ) Einband ( -