
Kant's Justification of Ethics
Owen Ware(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 1. February 2021
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-0-19-884993-3 (ISBN)
Description
Kant's arguments for the reality of human freedom and the normativity of the moral law continue to inspire work in contemporary moral philosophy. Many prominent ethicists invoke Kant, directly or indirectly, in their efforts to derive the authority of moral requirements from a more basic conception of action, agency, or rationality. But many commentators have detected a deep rift between the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals and the Critique of Practical Reason, leaving Kant's project of justification exposed to conflicting assessments and interpretations. In this ground-breaking study of Kant, Owen Ware defends the controversial view that Kant's mature writings on ethics share a unified commitment to the moral law's primacy. Using both close analysis and historical contextualization, Owen Ware overturns a paradigmatic way of reading Kant's arguments for morality and freedom, situating them within Kant's critical methodology at large. The result is a novel understanding of Kant that challenges much of what goes under the banner of Kantian arguments for moral normativity today.
Reviews / Votes
Ware's work is excellent * Martin Sticker, Kantian Review * Ware's Kant's Justification of Ethics "contains valuable contributions to many debates about the foundations of Kant's ethical project. As such, it will be essential reading for anyone interested in the foundations of Kant's ethics." * Karl Schafer, University of Texas, Philosophical Quarterly * Owen Ware's Kant's Justification of Ethics is an "impressively researched, wide-ranging, and ground-clearing book." * Jessica Tizzard, University Tuebingen, Studi Kantiani * Ware's work is excellent...It continues the tradition of adding value to Kant scholarship by discussing Kant's methods and aims. * Martin Sticker, University of Bristol, Kantian Review * Kant's Justification of Ethics can be seen as a substantial work on Kant's practical philosophy that at various points provides a fresh look at Kant's arguments for human freedom and moral normativity. * Steffi Schadow, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Archiv fuer Geschichte der Philosophie * Owen Ware's Kant's Justification of Ethics is certainly a worthwhile read for scholars of Kant and normative ethics as well as advanced students of Kant's practical philosophy. Well-written, conceptually strong, and clearly organized, Ware's book manages to accomplish a great deal in terms of novel Kantian scholarship while at the same time constituting a useful general guidebook to the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, the Critique of Practical Reason, and to the philosophical task of justifying moralit's bindingness on us. * Olga Lenczewska, University of North Carolina, British Journal for the History of Philosophy * Kant's Justification of Ethics and Fichte's Moral Philosophy are "chockful of stimulating interpretive theses, supported by outstanding scholarship and argument. To all interested in their topics, I highly recommend these books, each individually, but especially together." * William F. Bristow, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, European Journal of Philosophy * In this recent monograph Owen Ware offers a systematic and textual interpretation of Kant's practical-philosophical writings oriented by the issue of justification. The aim is to understand 'the basic structure of Kant's project of moral justification, with a focus on his foundational arguments for the reality of human freedom and the normativity of the moral law' * Karl von der Luft, Journal of Moral Philosophy * Kant's Justifications of Ethics is mandatory reading for anyone who seeks to understand the argument structure and metaethical commitments of Kant's foundational moral theory. It will also be of interest to anyone who wonders what we, as human beings, can legitimately expect from moral philosophy, and indeed philosophy in general ... . Ware's overarching picture of Kant's justificatory ambitions and strategies is informative and compelling. * Janis David Schaab, Utrecht University, Kant Studien *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
458 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-884993-3 (9780198849933)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Owen Ware
Kant's Justification of Ethics
E-Book
02/2021
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€50.49
Available for download

Owen Ware
Kant's Justification of Ethics
E-Book
02/2021
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€50.49
Available for download
Person
Owen Ware is Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, Canada. He has published extensively on Kant and post-Kantian philosophy, with a focus on questions of freedom, morality, and normativity. He is the author of Fichte's Moral Philosophy (OUP 2020).
Author
Associate ProfessorAssociate Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto
Content
Introduction 1: Moral Skepticism 2: The Fact of Reason 3: Freedom and Obligation 4: Moral Sensibility 5: Self-Knowledge and Despair Conclusion