Kantian Naturalism

I offer a qualified defence of Kant’s natural teleological argument, that is, his inference from the (un)naturalness of an act to its (im)morality. Though I reject many of Kant’s conclusions, I think the form of argument he uses to support these conclusions is not as wrong-headed as it might at first appear. I consider and answer two objections: first, that the argument is inconsistent with Kant’s moral rationalism; and second, that the argument is inconsistent with post-Kantian developments in science. I argue that both objections rest on a common mistake, namely, the assumption that the account of (human) nature on which Kant’s argument relies is theoretical. On the contrary, the relevant account is practical: informed by science, but not determined by it. Once we appreciate the practical character of Kant’s naturalism, we can see not only that Kant can be a naturalist and a rationalist, but contemporary Kantians can be as well

Epistemology · Naturalism · Historical Philosophy and Science · Philosophical Ethics and Theory · Philosophy · Philosophy, Science, and History

• The Practice of Moral Judgment

  Barbara Herman•The Practice of Moral Judgment•1996

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• Lectures on Ethics

  Open Access•Immanuel Kant, Peter Heath et al.•Lectures on Ethics•1997

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• Sexual Solipsism

  Rae Langton•Sexual solipsism•2009

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• Anthropology, History, and Education

  Open Access•Immanuel Kant, Robert B Louden et al.•Anthropology, History, and…•2007

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• A Critical Overview of Biological Functions

  Open Access•Justin Garson•Critical Overview of Biological…•2016

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• A Treatise of Human Nature

  David Hume, David Fate Norton et al.•David Hume : A Treatise Of Human…•1739

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• The Moral Habitat

  Barbara Herman•Moral Habitat•2021

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• Could It Be Worth Thinking about Kant on Sex and Marriage?

  Barbara Herman•Mind of One's Own•2018

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• Creating the Kingdom of Ends

  Open Access•Christine M Korsgaard•Creating the Kingdom of Ends•1996

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• Kant, Political Liberalism, and the Ethics of Same‐Sex Relations

  Open Access•Kory P Schaff, Kory Schaff•Journal of Social Philosophy•2001

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• Kant's Ethical Thought

  Open Access•Allen W Wood•Kant's Ethical Thought•1999

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• Kant on Sex and Marriage

  Matthew C Altman•Kant-Studien•2010

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• Taking metaphysics seriously

  Open Access•E Sonny Elizondo•European Journal of Philosophy•2022

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• Sex, Love, and Gender

  Helga Varden•Sex, Love, and Gender•2020

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• Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals

  Christoph Horn, Dieter Schönecker et al.•Groundwork for the Metaphysics of…•2006

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• Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View

  Open Access•Immanuel Kant, Mary J Gregor•Anthropology from a Pragmatic…•1974

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