Kant: Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals

The revised edition of the Cambridge translation of one of the most powerful texts in the history of ethical thought.

Christine M. Korsgaard (Introduction by), Mary Gregor (Translated by), Jens Timmermann (Translated by)

9781107401068, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 19 April 2012

130 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 0.7 cm, 0.23 kg

"...Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals is an original, profound, and beautifully written piece."
--George L?z?roiu, PhD, Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, New York, Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice

Published in 1785, Immanuel Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals ranks alongside Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics as one of the most profound and influential works in moral philosophy ever written. In Kant's own words, its aim is to identify and corroborate the supreme principle of morality, the categorical imperative. He argues that human beings are ends in themselves, never to be used by anyone merely as a means, and that universal and unconditional obligations must be understood as an expression of the human capacity for autonomy and self-governance. As such, they are laws of freedom. This volume contains Mary Gregor's acclaimed translation of the text into English, revised by Jens Timmermann, and an accessible, updated introduction by Christine Korsgaard.

Preface to the revised edition
Introduction
Chronology
Further reading
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
Preface
1. Transition from common to philosophical moral rational cognition
2. Transition from popular moral philosophy to the metaphysics of morals
3. Transition from the metaphysics of morals to the critique of pure practical reason
Notes
Selected glossary
Index.

Subject Areas: Ethics & moral philosophy [HPQ], Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology [HPJ], Western philosophy: c 1600 to c 1900 [HPCD], History of Western philosophy [HPC]