In Defense of Kant's Religion

Chris L. Firestone is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Trinity College in Deerfield, Ill. He is editor (with Stephen R. Palmquist) of Kant and the New Philosophy of Religion (IUP, 2006).Nathan Jacobs is Assistant Professor of Theology in the School of Biblical and Religious Studies at Trinity College in Deerfield, Ill. He has authored many articles on Kant and other topics, and is a contributor to Kant and the New Philosophy of Religion.

• ContentsForeword by Nicholas WolterstorffAcknowledgmentsNote on Text QuotationsPeople vs. ReligionPart 1. Perspectives on Kant's Religion1. The Metaphysical Motives behind ReligionWitness for the Prosecution: Vincent McCarthyWitness for the Defense: Stephen R. PalmquistWitness for the Prosecution: Keith WardWitness for the Defense: Allen W. Wood2. The Philosophical Character of ReligionWitnesses for the Prosecution: Philip Quinn and Nicholas WolterstorffWitness for the Defense: Ronald M. GreenWitness for the Defense: Adina DavidovichWitnesses for the Defense: Bernard M. G. Reardon and John E. Hare3. The Indictment of ReligionThe Predisposition-Propensity ConflictThe Innate-but-Freely-Chosen PredicamentThe Universal-Contingent PuzzleThe Stoic-Saint DilemmaThe Before-and-After ProblemThe Hermeneutic Circularity CrisisThe Unnecessary Necessity ParadoxPart 2. The Defense of Kant's Religion4. Kant's Philosophy of Religion Reconsidered—AgainPure Cognition and Rational FaithKant's Two Experiments in ReligionThe Moral Disposition and the Pursuit of Virtue5. Book One of ReligionKant's Case for Moral RigorismKant's Anthropology and Humanity's Moral BentHumanity's Moral Disposition6. Book Two of ReligionThe Prototype of Perfect HumanityPractical Faith in the Son of GodThe Anatomy of Moral Hope7. Book Three of ReligionThe Need for and Nature of the Ethical CommonwealthEcclesiastical Faith as the Vehicle for Pure Religious FaithThe Rational Merits of Christianity8. Book Four of ReligionKant on Revelation and RationalismChristianity as a Natural and Learned ReligionConcerning the Counterfeit Service of GodClosing StatementNotesSelected BibliographyIndex

"This book convincingly reinterprets Kant, and offers many genuinely fresh and thought provoking possibilities to explore. 26.2 April, 2010"—Daniel Plant, King's College"[This] is one of the best, if not the best, book that has yet been written in English on Kant's philosophy of religion. It is learned, clearly written, and immensely creative.... I recommend it unreservedly to anyone interested in Kant's philosophy of religion.2009, Volume 66"—INTNL JRNL PHILOSOPHY RELIGION"Invaluable in courses on Kant's philosophy of religion. There is a sizeable literature on the topic, but none that gives such a comprehensive overview of the scholarship in the course of developing its own interpretation."—Merold Westphal, Fordham University