When asked by students to recommend a good introductory book to philosophy, my old philosophy professor used to growl “Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason”. At first glance this seems absurd: Kant’s texts, in particular his late work, are notoriously difficult to read and put the fear of philosophy in many who try. Even Kant’s friend Moses Mendelson, one of the greatest thinkers of the 18th Century, declared that the Critique of Pure Reason was “wearing away the nervous juices.” Yet, I think my old professor had a point. Once you have found a way into reading Kant, his texts can teach you how to philosophise well. They are satisfyingly complex, systematic and critical, they stimulate you to wrestle and disagree with them. So, how to get started? It helps to know a little about his background, his interests and way of thinking as well as the concepts that he uses.
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Denne historien er fra April / May 2024-utgaven av Philosophy Now.
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The Two Dennises
Hannah Mortimer observes a close encounter of the same kind.
Heraclitus (c.500 BC)
Harry Keith lets flow a stream of ideas about permanence and change.
Does the Cosmos Have a Purpose?
Raymond Tallis argues intently against universal intention.
Is Driving Fossil-Fuelled Cars Immoral?
Rufus Duits asks when we can justify driving our carbon contributors.
Abelard & Carneades Yes & No
Frank Breslin says 'yes and no' to presenting both sides of an argument.
Frankl & Sartre in Search of Meaning
Georgia Arkell compares logotherapy and atheistic existentialism.
Luce Irigaray
Luce Irigaray, now ninety-two years old, was, among many other things, one of the most impactful feminists of the 1970s liberation movements - before she was marginalised, then ostracised, from the francophone intellectual sphere.
Significance
Ruben David Azevedo tells us why, in a limitless universe, we’re not insignificant.
The Present Is Not All There Is To Happiness
Rob Glacier says don’t just live in the now.
Philosophers Exploring The Good Life
Jim Mepham quests with philosophers to discover what makes a life good.
