The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals is Kant's central contribution to moral philosophy, and has inspired controversy ever since it was first published in 1785. Kant champions the insights of 'common human understanding' against what he sees as the dangerous perversions of ethical theory. Morality is revealed to be a matter of human autonomy: Kant locates the source of the 'categorical imperative' within each and every human will. However, he also portrays everyday morality in a way that many readers find difficult to accept. The Groundwork is a short book, but its argument is dense, intricate and at times treacherous. This commentary explains Kant's arguments paragraph by paragraph, and also contains an introduction, a synopsis of the argument, six short interpretative essays on key topics of the Groundwork, and a glossary of key terms. It will be an indispensable tool for anyone wishing to study the Groundwork in detail.
Author(s): Jens Timmermann
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 228
Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Acknowledgements......Page 10
Note on quotations from Kant’s works......Page 11
What a ‘groundwork’ of moral philosophy can and cannot do......Page 13
Pessimism and optimism in Kant’s moral theory......Page 16
The character of moral duty......Page 20
A priori and a posteriori: the grounds of action......Page 21
Kant’s method: analytic, synthetic and the need for a ‘deduction’......Page 23
The story of the Groundwork......Page 27
Section I: Transition from common to philosophic moral cognition of reason......Page 31
Section II: Transition from popular moral philosophy to the metaphysics of morals......Page 32
Section III: Transition from the Metaphysics of Morals to the Critique of Pure Practical Reason......Page 33
1 Classification of the disciplines of philosophy, according to their subject matter and mode of cognition......Page 35
2 Why pure moral philosophy, or a ‘metaphysics of morals’, is necessary......Page 39
3 The project of grounding a metaphysics of morals......Page 43
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 48
1 Onthe unconditional value of a good will......Page 49
2 Amorally good will, not happiness, is the natural purpose of reason......Page 55
3 Elucidation of the concept of duty by means of three propositions......Page 59
4 The law of duty, general conformity to law as such, is the condition of a will that is good in itself......Page 78
5 Concluding remarks: common and philosophic moral cognition of reason......Page 80
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 83
Section II: Transition from popular moral philosophy to the metaphysics of morals......Page 84
1 Preliminaries......Page 85
2 The doctrine of imperatives......Page 93
3 The categorical imperative......Page 107
4 The first variant: universal laws of nature......Page 111
5 Interlude......Page 122
6 The second variant: rational creatures as ends-in-themselves......Page 124
7 The third variant: autonomy in a kingdom of ends......Page 136
8 Reflections on the variant formulations of the categorical imperative......Page 143
9 The autonomy of the moral will......Page 148
10 Transition to Section III: How is a synthetic practical proposition possible?......Page 151
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 152
Section III: Transition from the metaphysics of morals to the critique of pure practical reason......Page 154
1 The concept of freedom is the key to the explanation of the autonomy of the will......Page 155
2 Freedom as property of the will of all rational beings......Page 161
3 The interest attaching to the ideas of morality......Page 162
4 The ‘deduction’: how is a categorical imperative possible?......Page 173
5 The extreme boundary of all practical philosophy......Page 178
6 Conclusion: Comprehending that we cannot comprehend morality......Page 184
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 185
Appendix A:
Schiller’s scruples of conscience......Page 186
Appendix B:
The pervasiveness of morality......Page 189
Appendix C:
Universal legislation, ends and
puzzle maxims......Page 191
Appendix D:
‘Indirect duty’: Kantian consequentialism......Page 195
Appendix E:
Freedom and moral failure: Reinhold
and Sidgwick......Page 198
Appendix F:
The project of a ‘metaphysics of morals’......Page 202
AUTONOMY AND HETERONOMY......Page 207
ENDS AND PURPOSES......Page 209
FREEDOM OF WILL......Page 210
HAPPINESS......Page 212
MAXIMS......Page 213
MOTIVATION......Page 214
REVERENCE......Page 215
VOLITION AND CHOICE......Page 216
ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS......Page 218
STUDIES OF KANT’S MORAL PHILOSOPHY......Page 219
OTHER SECONDARY LITERATURE......Page 220
INDEX NOMINUM......Page 222
INDEX RERUM......Page 224
