Kant and his German Contemporaries: Volume 1, Logic, Mind, Epistemology, Science and Ethics

A detailed and innovative study of Kant's engagement with the ideas and methods of previously neglected philosophical figures in eighteenth-century Germany.

Corey W. Dyck (Edited by), Falk Wunderlich (Edited by)

9781316506219, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 9 January 2020

308 pages, 14 b/w illus.
23 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.4 kg

'Each of the chapters is rich in historical detail and carefully argued, so the volume as a whole is informative and rigorous. Readers will come away from the volume with a more authentic understanding of Kant, a more nuanced appreciation of his German contemporaries, and a better sense of the debates within which Kant's critical philosophy was situated. I think readers will also recognize that Kant, his contemporaries, and their debates, are not merely 'of historical interest', since contemporary philosophers are still grappling with many of the same issues as Kant's predecessors, peers, and immediate successors.' J. Colin McQuillan, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

This collection of new essays, the first of its kind in English, considers the ways in which the philosophy of Immanuel Kant engages with the views of lesser-known eighteenth-century German thinkers. Each chapter casts new light on aspects of Kant's complex relationship with these figures, particularly with respect to key aspects of his logic, metaphysics, epistemology, theory of science, and ethics. The portrait of Kant that emerges is of a major thinker thoroughly engaged with his contemporaries - drawing on their ideas and approaches, targeting their arguments for criticism and responding to their concerns, and seeking to secure the legacy of his thought among them. This volume will open the door for further research on Kant and his methods of philosophical inquiry, while introducing readers to the distinctive and influential philosophical contributions of several previously neglected figures.

Introduction Corey W. Dyck and Falk Wunderlich
Part I. General and Transcendental Logic: 1. Wolff's empirical psychology and the structure of the transcendental logic Brian A. Chance
2. From logical calculus to logical formality: what Kant did with Euler's circles Huaping Lu-Adler
Part II. Metaphysics and the Mind: 3. Kant and Tetens on the unity of the self Udo Thiel
4. G. F. Meier and Kant on the belief in the immortality of the soul Corey W. Dyck
5. Maimon and Kant on the nature of the mind Brandon C. Look
Part III. Truth, idealism, and scepticism: 6. Lambert and Kant on truth Thomas Sturm
7. Mendelssohn, Kant, and the refutation of idealism Paul Guyer
8. Platner on Kant: from scepticism to dogmatic critique Falk Wunderlich
Part IV. History and Philosophy of Science: 9. Lambert and Kant on cognition (Erkenntnis) and science (Wissenschaft) Eric Watkins
10. Kant and the skull collectors: German anthropology from Blumenbach to Kant Jennifer Mensch
Part V. Freedom, Immortality, and Happiness: 11. Kant and Crusius on the role of immortality in morality Paola Rumore
12. Kant and Feder on the will, happiness, and the aim of moral philosophy Stefano Bacin
13. The antithetic between freedom and natural necessity: Garve's problem and Kant's solution Heiner F. Klemme.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX], Western philosophy: c 1600 to c 1900 [HPCD], History of Western philosophy [HPC], Philosophy [HP]