Choosing Freedom: A Kantian Guide to Life

New York, NY: Oxford University Press (2022)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

An exploration of everything Kant's philosophy can teach us about being the best people we can be, from using our human reasoning to its fullest potential to being affably drunk at dinner parties. Immanuel Kant is well known as one of the towering figures of Western philosophical history, but he is less well known for his savvy advice about hosting dinner parties. This philosophical genius was a man of many interests and talents: his famously formal and abstract ethical system is only part of his story. But Kant not only made a profound impact on how people think about big questions like how to treat one another -- he also offered wise insights on things people confront in everyday life: things like gossip, friendship, manners, self-respect, cheerfulness, gratitude, mockery, contempt, and yes, dinner parties. In this book, philosopher Karen Stohr shows how Kant's whole ethical picture fits together. It's a picture that is as relevant and useful now as it was in the 18th century--and maybe even more so. A Kantian way of living means using reason to guide your choices so that your life reflects your true nature as a free, rational being. This nature is one we share with others; Kantianism emphasizes the fundamental dignity and equality of each person. It presents an ideal for how we should live together without downplaying the challenges we face in the actual world. Though realistic about human weaknesses, Kant remained optimistic about our capacities and possibilities. He had great faith in the ability of human reason to point us in the direction of moral progress and to get us there. Each of us has the power within us to know and choose the right path--we just have to be willing to make that choice, and to discover how worthwhile life can be in the process.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Making choices.Victoria Parker - 2009 - Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library.
The Confucian Conception of Freedom.Chenyang Li - 2014 - Philosophy East and West 64 (4):902-919.
The Freedom of Life: Hegelian Perspectives.Thomas Khurana (ed.) - 2013 - Berlin, Germany: August Verlag.
Freedom and Limits.John Lachs - 2014 - New York: Fordham University Press. Edited by Patrick Shade.
Socialism and Freedom.S. M. Love - 2020 - Philosophical Topics 48 (2):131-157.
Form and Matter in Kantian Political Philosophy: A Reply.Arthur Ripstein - 2012 - European Journal of Philosophy 20 (3):487-496.
Animality and Rationality.Sofia Miguens - 2019 - Con-Textos Kantianos 9:293-308.

Analytics

Added to PP
2022-10-13

Downloads
17 (#742,366)

6 months
7 (#176,166)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Karen Stohr
Georgetown University

Citations of this work

Moral Responsibility While Dreaming.Robert Cowan - 2023 - Ergo: An Open Access Journal of Philosophy 10.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references