Unnecessary Evil: History and Moral Progress in the Philosophy of Immanuel Kant

Demonstrates the systematic connection between Kant's ethics and his philosophy of history.

No philosopher has been more committed to the idea of the moral progress of humanity than Immanuel Kant. But is this idea of the moral advancement of the species compatible with the individualist basis of Kantian ethics? Do individuals have obligations to contribute toward the welfare of future generations? Here, Sharon Anderson-Gold affirms the compatibility of Immanuel Kant's philosophy of history and ethics by reversing the individualistic reading of the nature of virtue and vice. Arguing that Kant's definition of radical evil as a characteristic of the social condition of humanity makes virtue a collective task, she concludes that Kant's views on the moral progress of the species are essential to a proper appreciation of the collective character of moral goals and the social context of both virtue and vice. The author also expands the role of reflective judgment in the development of a cosmopolitan discourse specifying duties supporting international institutions, human rights and global economic justice. She argues that reflective judgments contain both phenomenological and normative components, making a moral evaluation of social institutions possible, thereby providing an orientation or guide for individual action.

Author: Sharon Anderson-Gold
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: 11/02/2000
Pages: 152
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 9.00h x 5.92w x 0.36d
ISBN: 9780791448205

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 12/20/2000

About the Author

Sharon Anderson-Gold is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

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