Ends and Principles in Kant’s Moral Thought

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XIII

   PDF

2. Introduction: Background and the central problem

   • John E. Atwell

   Pages 1-11

3. Ends and the good will

   • John E. Atwell

   Pages 13-32

4. Maxims

   • John E. Atwell

   Pages 33-55

5. Universality and the categorical imperative

   • John E. Atwell

   Pages 57-85

6. Ends and moral obligation

   • John E. Atwell

   Pages 87-104

7. The principle of humanity

   • John E. Atwell

   Pages 105-137

8. Autonomy of the Will

   • John E. Atwell

   Pages 139-169

9. Duties, rights, and ends in the political order

   • John E. Atwell

   Pages 171-207

10. Happiness and law-morality

    • John E. Atwell

    Pages 209-223

11. Back Matter

    Pages 225-226

    PDF

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) stands among the greatest thinkers of the Western world. There is hardly an area of thought, at least of philosophical thought, to which he did not make significant and lasting contributions. Particularly noteworthy are his writings on the foundations and limits of human knowledge, the bidimensional nature of perceptual or "natural" objects (including human beings), the basic principles and ends of morality, the character of a just society and of a world at peace, the movement and direction of human history, the nature of beauty, the end or purpose of all creation, the proper education of young people, the true conception of religion, and on and on. Though Kant was a life-long resident of Konigsberg, Prussia - child, student, tutor, and then professor of philosophy (and other subjects) - his thought ranged over nearly all the world and even beyond. Reports reveal that he (a bachelor) was an amiable man, highly respected by his students and colleagues, and even loved by his several close friends. He was apparently a man of integrity, both in his personal relations and in his pursuit of knowledge and truth. Despite his somewhat pessimistic attitude toward the moral progress of mankind - judging from past history and contemporary events - he never wavered from a deep-seated faith in the goodness of the human heart, in man's "splendid disposition toward the good.

• Immanuel Kant
• Kant
• freedom
• liberty
• truth

'... Atwell does deal with familiar topics inmuch of his work, but does so in a way that is fresh and penetrating as well as remarkably clear. ... in every chapter topics are treated in a way which admirably combines careful scholarship with a sense of what is philosophically important. ... As a work of a scholarship it seems to me to compare favourably with the best books on the subject, including those by Marcus Singer and Onora Nell.'
Prof. W.H. Walsh+, Oxford, UK

Policies and ethics