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The Blackwell Guide to Kant's Ethics

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ISBN: 978-1-444-30849-5

March 2009

Wiley-Blackwell

304 pages

Description
THE BLACKWELL GUIDE TO KANT’S Ethics

THE BLACKWELL GUIDES TO great Works

“Hill has edited an excellent set of essays by both well-established and younger Kant scholars, each of which insightfully discusses fundamental themes and arguments in Kant’s moral philosophy. This collection not only contributes importantly to ongoing scholarship, but it will serve as a perfect companion to upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses that feature Kant’s ethics.”
Mark Timmons, University of Arizona

Late in the eighteenth century, Immanuel Kant published several influential works of moral philosophy, writings that even his staunchest critics acknowledge represent the efforts of one of the most profound thinkers of the modern age.

Reflecting the philosopher’s increasing stature and a resurgence in innovative scholarship, The Blackwell Guide to Kant’s Ethics presents a collection of original essays that address a wide variety of topics crucial to our understanding of Kant’s moral philosophy and its implications. The essays’ broad range of ideas is ensured through contributions by both well-established Kant scholars and rising stars in the field. Readings serve to illuminate and put into perspective issues that Kant addressed in his later writings, including his idea of a good will and formulations of the Categorical Imperative, along with his concepts of virtue, duties to oneself, justice, punishment, and international relations. Further insights are garnered through extensive introductory commentary by the editor that put the essays in context. And in an original concluding essay, noted Kant scholar Arnulf Zweig shares some personal reflections on the enduring value of Kant’s ethics.

Informed by impeccable scholarship, The Blackwell Guide to Kant’s Ethics is a thought-provoking new work that will enhance our understanding of Kant’s ethical theories while offering provocative insights into the mind of one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Western philosophy.

About the Author
Thomas E. Hill, Jr. is Kenan Professor of Philosophy at the University of Borth Carolina, Chapel Hill. His essays on moral and political philosophy are collected in Autonomy and Self-Respect (1991), Dignity and Practical Reason in Kant's Moral Theory (1992), Respect, Pluralism, and Justice: Kantian Perspectives (2000), and Human Welfare and Moral Worth: Kantian Perspectives (2002). With Arnulf Zweig he co-edited a new edition of Kant's Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals with extensive notes (2002).
Features
  • Provides a fresh perspective on themes in Kant’s moral philosophy through a collection of new previously unpublished essays
  • Addresses systematically Kant’s foundational work, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals and his more specific treatment of justice and virtue in The Metaphysics of Morals
  • Includes essays by both established distinguished scholars and rising stars
  • Identifies common misperceptions of Kant's thought and challenges some prevailing interpretations
  • Shows how Kant developed and supplemented his earlier ethical thought with specific discussions of practical issues in law, international relations, personal relations, and self-regarding virtues and vices