Contemporary debates in moral philosophy have primarily been focused on meta-ethical questions ab... more Contemporary debates in moral philosophy have primarily been focused on meta-ethical questions about the justifi cation of morality, disregarding the ease with which perfectly justifi ed norms are displaced by non-moral considerations. 1 Given the scope, magnitude, and inventiveness of human wrongdoing, this philosophical trend seems utterly misguided. The challenge does not lie so much in how to justify morality, but in understanding how perfectly justifi ed judgments are so easily disregarded by self-serving calculations. 2 Kant's doctrine of radical evil has much to tell us about this. Against the widespread tendency to explain evil in terms of the pernicious power of natural inclinations, Kant believed that evil represented "an invisible enemy, one who hides behind reason and hence [is] all the more dangerous" (R 6: 57). The enemy is invisible, for "no matter how far back we direct our attention to our moral state, we fi nd that this state is no longer res integra " (R 6: 58n.). And it is exceptionally dangerous, for the corruption in question is self-imposed: "genuine evil consists in our will not to resist the inclinations when they invite transgression" (ibid.). Since this type of volition rests on a maxim, and maxim formation in Kant always takes place under the constraints of
Against the impression that Rousseau is an eclectic thinker, this paper is an attempt to reconstr... more Against the impression that Rousseau is an eclectic thinker, this paper is an attempt to reconstruct the systematic core of his anthropology. First, I discuss the methodological starting-point. Second, I develop the structural framework required to make the concept of nature operative as an ideal within social contexts. Finally, I interpret Rousseau’s genetic account in terms of this framework. Such a procedure allows me to solve two interpretative problems, the aporia of the origin of wickedness and the question of man’s natural isolation. A twofold notion of logic is introduced to integrate the demands of history and structure, which overlap with those of freedom and necessity in Rousseau’s thought. This organizes my argument in a mirror-like way. I call this undertaking an essay, for it is the endeavor to think what Rousseau must have thought in order to write what he wrote.
Данная терминология тесно связана с различением «максим действий» и «фундаментальных максим» Нель... more Данная терминология тесно связана с различением «максим действий» и «фундаментальных максим» Нельсона Поттера, к которым также апеллирует Пол Гайер. Как станет понятно из нижеследующих рассуждений, подлинно «фундаментальная максима» -это не та, которая находится в Gesinnung, как предполагают эти исследователи, а та, которая, как мы предполагаем, характеризует трансцендентальную структуру воления, лежащую в его основе. Чтобы избежать путаницы, я обращаюсь к Gesinnung как к максиме второго порядка, «первому» акту трансцендентальной свободы, а термин «фундаментальный» обозначает деятельность структуры воления, которая отвечает за то, что делает возможной максиму второго порядка. Ср.:
Introduction, 1. Kant's 'Metaphysics of Permanent Rupture': radical evil and the u... more Introduction, 1. Kant's 'Metaphysics of Permanent Rupture': radical evil and the unity of reason Philip Rossi, 2. Kantian moral pessimism Patrick Frierson, 3. Kant, the Bible, and the recovery from radical evil Gordon Michalson, 4. Kant's moral excluded middle Claudia Card, 5. Evil ...
Con-textos Kantianos: International Journal of Philosophy, 2017
This Guide is designed to restore the theological background that informs Kant’s treatment of gra... more This Guide is designed to restore the theological background that informs Kant’s treatment of grace in Religion to its rightful place. This background is essential not only to understand the nature of Kant’s overall project in this book, namely, to determine the “association” or “union” between Christianity (as a historical faith) and rational religion, but also to dispel the impression of “internal contradictions” and “conundrums” that contemporary interpreters associate with Kant’s treatment of grace and moral regeneration. That impression, we argue, is the result of entrenched interpretative habits that can be traced back to Karl Barth’s reading of the text. Once we realize that such a reading rests on a mistake, much of the anxiety and confusion that plague current discussions on these issues can be put to rest.
The papers collected in this section were part of a session organized by the North American Kant ... more The papers collected in this section were part of a session organized by the North American Kant Society at the Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association in Washington, DC (January, 2016). The session, “New Perspectives in Kant’s Psychology,” marked a rare occurrence: the almost simultaneous publication in 2014 of two important new books on this topic, Corey Dyck’s Kant and Rational Psychology (Oxford University Press) and Patrick Frierson’s Kant’s Empirical Psychology (Cambridge University Press). At first glance, these books have little in common. While the bulk of Dyck’s project is devoted to interpreting Kant’s Paralogisms in light of 18 th century German discussions of rational psychology, Frierson shows how Kant’s conception of human beings as objects of empirical investigation is essential to understanding his theory of action, cognition, and moral motivation. If one looks more closely, however, these projects share a fundamental assumption, namely, t...
Contemporary debates in moral philosophy have primarily been focused on meta-ethical questions ab... more Contemporary debates in moral philosophy have primarily been focused on meta-ethical questions about the justifi cation of morality, disregarding the ease with which perfectly justifi ed norms are displaced by non-moral considerations. 1 Given the scope, magnitude, and inventiveness of human wrongdoing, this philosophical trend seems utterly misguided. The challenge does not lie so much in how to justify morality, but in understanding how perfectly justifi ed judgments are so easily disregarded by self-serving calculations. 2 Kant's doctrine of radical evil has much to tell us about this. Against the widespread tendency to explain evil in terms of the pernicious power of natural inclinations, Kant believed that evil represented "an invisible enemy, one who hides behind reason and hence [is] all the more dangerous" (R 6: 57). The enemy is invisible, for "no matter how far back we direct our attention to our moral state, we fi nd that this state is no longer res integra " (R 6: 58n.). And it is exceptionally dangerous, for the corruption in question is self-imposed: "genuine evil consists in our will not to resist the inclinations when they invite transgression" (ibid.). Since this type of volition rests on a maxim, and maxim formation in Kant always takes place under the constraints of
Against the impression that Rousseau is an eclectic thinker, this paper is an attempt to reconstr... more Against the impression that Rousseau is an eclectic thinker, this paper is an attempt to reconstruct the systematic core of his anthropology. First, I discuss the methodological starting-point. Second, I develop the structural framework required to make the concept of nature operative as an ideal within social contexts. Finally, I interpret Rousseau’s genetic account in terms of this framework. Such a procedure allows me to solve two interpretative problems, the aporia of the origin of wickedness and the question of man’s natural isolation. A twofold notion of logic is introduced to integrate the demands of history and structure, which overlap with those of freedom and necessity in Rousseau’s thought. This organizes my argument in a mirror-like way. I call this undertaking an essay, for it is the endeavor to think what Rousseau must have thought in order to write what he wrote.
Данная терминология тесно связана с различением «максим действий» и «фундаментальных максим» Нель... more Данная терминология тесно связана с различением «максим действий» и «фундаментальных максим» Нельсона Поттера, к которым также апеллирует Пол Гайер. Как станет понятно из нижеследующих рассуждений, подлинно «фундаментальная максима» -это не та, которая находится в Gesinnung, как предполагают эти исследователи, а та, которая, как мы предполагаем, характеризует трансцендентальную структуру воления, лежащую в его основе. Чтобы избежать путаницы, я обращаюсь к Gesinnung как к максиме второго порядка, «первому» акту трансцендентальной свободы, а термин «фундаментальный» обозначает деятельность структуры воления, которая отвечает за то, что делает возможной максиму второго порядка. Ср.:
Introduction, 1. Kant's 'Metaphysics of Permanent Rupture': radical evil and the u... more Introduction, 1. Kant's 'Metaphysics of Permanent Rupture': radical evil and the unity of reason Philip Rossi, 2. Kantian moral pessimism Patrick Frierson, 3. Kant, the Bible, and the recovery from radical evil Gordon Michalson, 4. Kant's moral excluded middle Claudia Card, 5. Evil ...
Con-textos Kantianos: International Journal of Philosophy, 2017
This Guide is designed to restore the theological background that informs Kant’s treatment of gra... more This Guide is designed to restore the theological background that informs Kant’s treatment of grace in Religion to its rightful place. This background is essential not only to understand the nature of Kant’s overall project in this book, namely, to determine the “association” or “union” between Christianity (as a historical faith) and rational religion, but also to dispel the impression of “internal contradictions” and “conundrums” that contemporary interpreters associate with Kant’s treatment of grace and moral regeneration. That impression, we argue, is the result of entrenched interpretative habits that can be traced back to Karl Barth’s reading of the text. Once we realize that such a reading rests on a mistake, much of the anxiety and confusion that plague current discussions on these issues can be put to rest.
The papers collected in this section were part of a session organized by the North American Kant ... more The papers collected in this section were part of a session organized by the North American Kant Society at the Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association in Washington, DC (January, 2016). The session, “New Perspectives in Kant’s Psychology,” marked a rare occurrence: the almost simultaneous publication in 2014 of two important new books on this topic, Corey Dyck’s Kant and Rational Psychology (Oxford University Press) and Patrick Frierson’s Kant’s Empirical Psychology (Cambridge University Press). At first glance, these books have little in common. While the bulk of Dyck’s project is devoted to interpreting Kant’s Paralogisms in light of 18 th century German discussions of rational psychology, Frierson shows how Kant’s conception of human beings as objects of empirical investigation is essential to understanding his theory of action, cognition, and moral motivation. If one looks more closely, however, these projects share a fundamental assumption, namely, t...
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Papers by Pablo Muchnik