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In this new lexical survey of Kant's works, Howard Caygill presents Kantian concepts and terminology in terms that will introduce and clarify his ideas for students and general readers alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

for the ordinary person
I forget the exact words and who said them, but a more recent philosopher once observed that Kant wrote for the 'salvation of the ordinary man, in words that the ordinary man could not possibly understand'. This problem, compounded by the even more abstruse interpretations of Kantian terminology offered by contemporary analytic philosophers, exacerbates the notorious difficulties in following the meaning of the terminology employed by Kant in his arguments in the way that: 1) Kant intended them to be understood, and 2) allows one to meaningfully participate in contemporary discourse surrounding this essential work.Kant is a thinker, like Spinoza before him, whom one must come to terms with. Yet, to understand the terms he uses, one must have a quick, dictionary reference, ready to hand - immediate access to definitions of the terms as one reads. This need is met here. While excellent works like the widely acclaimed CAMBRIDGE COMPANION TO KANT are wonderful aids in helping us understand these seminal and challenging texts, they are not ordered in the reference style format which is needed when reading Kant.
Caygill's excellent ancillary work, written in clear, unencumbered prose, is worthy of the highest approbation.I ask the prospective reader: Where else are you going to find explanations of all the terminology in Kant, and all the abbreviations used in the critical literature, critically juried by some of the top Kant scholars in the world, arranged in alphabetical order, all in one well-ordered, easily accessed volume?
Ironically, as Caygill informs us, in the entry for "definition", that, decribing definition as the presentation of the "...the complete, original concept of a thing within the limits of its concept", Kant "...goes to some length to show that, strictly speaking, there can be no philosophical definitions. Empirical concepts cannot be defined because it is impossible to know their precise limits, nor is it possible to be certain that they are original. They may be explicated by making their contents explicit, but they do not fulfill the criteria of definition. Nor do a priori concepts, since it is impossible to be certain that analysis has been completely effected: "the completeness of the analysis of my concept is always in doubt , and a multiplicity of suitable examples suffices only to make the completeness probable, never to make it apodeictically certain". (CPR A 729/ B 757)
Albeit, Caygill does well enough to warrant that there is no one approaching Kant's texts, regardless of their level of expertise (and most of us have relatively little, who would not be privileged to have this comprehensive reference ready-to-hand.

A learning tool, or intellectual underwear ?
In the area of pure intellectual thought, Kant occupies a unique place near the beginning of modern philosophy that shows to an amazing extent how much we have discarded his immediate predecessors, Leibniz (1646-1716, mentioned in 35 topics in this book) and Christian Wolff (1679-1754, mentioned in 44 topics).For comparison, consider my favorite expert on Kant, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860, who is mentioned only in nine topics, some of them quite small words, like: "drive, duty, force, will" per page 443) who studied Kant intensely and produced an "Appendix:Criticism of the Kantian Philosophy" on pages 413-534 of THE WORLD AS WILL AND REPRESENTATION, Translated from the German by E. F. J. Payne in Two Volumes, Volume I.

Those who have no need to learn Kant for the college credit to be gained by passing courses in philosophy might still consider how useful A KANT DICTIONARY by Howard Caygill will be for them as intellectual underwear.Our modern world looks askance at anything that claims to be more absolute than underwear, but still allows revolutionary claims to be made for Kant by philosophers.The scope of thought included in A KANT DICTIONARY might be cited as support for the idea that Kant was great.However, he mainly placed himself on the political sidelines, far from ruthless political currents of the modern world, and staying close to home, much as Kris Kristofferson parodied the 20th century mainstream political mentality in his version of "Okie from Muskogee" with its humor about those patriotic heroes who don't shoot deadly marijuana, "and all we ever drop's our B.V.D.s."The comedy version of what goes around, comes around might seem more out of place applied to Kant than to anyone else, but this says as much about Kant as about our prime comedians, few of whom have the time to attempt to be as serious as those who teach Kant seem to be whenever they write a book.

As a serious work, A KANT DICTIONARY does offer informationabout the Copernican revolution in philosophy.This book is clearer than Kant on the importance of key words in this explanation, `revolution,' `Revolutions,' `revolved around the spectator,' " `tried whether he might not have better success if he made the spectator to revolve and the stars to remain at rest'.Yet while Copernicus's revolution" (p. 135) was found to conform to scientific laws, "Kant maintains that his CPR will go further than Copernicus by proving . . . that objects conform to knowledge, not knowledge to objects."(p. 136).This is a nice bit of knowledge to have, also available in the Preface to Second Edition of Kant's CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON, pages B vii to B xliv as the pages of the standard edition are designated, running from Kant's discussion of the intuition of the spectator in metaphysics on page B xvi through a footnote on page B xxii, which made the claim, "The change in point of view, analogous to this hypothesis, which is expounded in the CRITIQUE, I put forward in this preface as an hypothesis only, in order to draw attention to the character of these first attempts at such a change, which are always hypothetical.But in the CRITIQUE itself it will be proved . . ."

The "List of abbreviations of Kant's published writings" on pages 5-6 is a key to understanding why letters like CPR and CPrR keep showing up, as well as "and the `Analytic of the Sublime' in CJ."(p. 348).What sustains interest in this book is the idea that these are all great works, as basic for philosophy as the medical kind of CPR is the immediate response necessary to revive patients who need to be brought back to life when vital signs cease.In the main section of A KANT DICTIONARY, the entry for death merely says "see Fear, Finitude, Immortality, Punishment, Time," (p. 151) but there is also an interesting comment in the account of Kant's life, "after the death of Frederick the Great in 1786.Frederick's successor, Frederick William II, initiated a counter-Enlightenment which sought, by means of censorship, to curb the freedom of the press and to extend obedience to precisely those arguments concerning Church and State permitted by his predecessor."(p. 10).Kant was not in trouble until he published RELIGION WITHIN THE LIMITS OF REASON ALONE in 1793.There was a time when Kant promised not to publish what he thought, but he was sensitive to who was likely to read his work."Kant considered himself released from his promise with the death of Frederick William II in 1797" (p. 11).A KANT DICTIONARY is not afraid to devote a page to "church [Kirche] see also God, State, Theodicy, Theology."(p. 110).But "Kant's ecclesiology has had relatively little impact upon modern theology."(p. 111).That might be true, unless you think he dropped its B.V.D.s.

Solid and Quite helpful Dictionary on Kant's Philosophy
From A to Z, here is a dictionary on Kant's philosophy which, surprisingly enough, is quite helpful. For someone who is trying to gain a better understanding of Kant's philosophy this text is an invaluable tool to have handy. It is easy to use (since it is an A to Z topical dictionary) and contains a few extra features such as an Introduction on Kant and the Language of Philosophy, an article on Kant and the 'Age of Criticism,' a very handy chronology of Kant's published writings, a section called "Works Referred to in the Text" which sites all the works used to put this dictionary together, a recommended reading list (quite nice feature), and an index of philosophers and philosophical concepts.

Thus, for a text dealing with Kant, the reader gets not only great information on Kant's philosophy, but on his actual works, his concepts, his time period, and information on those philosophers who preceded and followed him.

What is more, a student can use this text to branch out into deeper study on Kant's philosophy due to the recommended reading, but also by way of the text itself. What I mean is, the entries include cross references, text abbreviations where the information (or concept) can be found in Kant's work, and the German origin of the entry/word/concept itself.

Overall, this is a very nice edition to anyone's philosophical library. Moreover, it is one of the better reference works I have seen or used in my research of Immanuel Kant. I highly recommend this text.

The 5 stars are for usefulness
This book would be very useful to you if you are taking an undergraduatecourse in Kantian philosophy. If you're having trouble remembering whatKant means when he uses the words "transcendentalism" and"ethics" and "pure reason" and stuff like that, thisbook will be a good resource. And the definitions aren't just a few words,many are more than a page. The only warning I would place on this book isthat many of the definitions provided are interpretive of the philosophyrather than just descriptive. So that could cause a problem if you have aprofessor who is fully persuaded in his own interpretation. But overallthis is a good and helpful book to have to quickly reacquaint yourself withmost of Kant's main philosophical ideas and terms. ... Read more

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In his new book the eminent Kant scholar Henry Allison provides an innovative and comprehensive interpretation of Kant's concept of freedom. The author analyzes the concept and discusses the role it plays in Kant's moral philosophy and psychology.He also considers in full detail the critical literature on the subject from Kant's own time to the present day.In the first part Professor Allison argues that at the center of the Critique of Pure Reason there is the foundation for a coherent general theory of rational agency. The second part employs this account of rational agency as a key to understanding Kant's concept of moral agency and associated moral psychology. The third part focuses on Kant's attempt to ground both moral law and freedom in the Groundwork and the Critique of Practical Reason. This is a major contribution to the interpretation of Kant which will be of special interest to scholars and graduate students of Kant's moral theory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

What is man?
The Kantian treatment of the idea of freedom, and its relation to Kantian morality and the theme of practical reason, is one of the great moments in both world philosophy and world history, but is virtually banished from discourse now as Darwinism, pragmatism, analytic philosophy, or pop freudianism recycled rule the waves. The subject as seen here seems a lost treasure hunt story for an outsider, standard fare of course for this field, and very well done, linking together different stages of Kant's development where too many discussions finesse one part in isolation. Allison's restatement of something like the original Kantian view taken straight, after the analytic era and the modified Kantianism of commentators like Strawson, is as interesting as it is complicated, yet starkly clear in outline, if not always easy to follow. The broad outlines are majestic, even if we thought the result unsuccessful. Who was successful? The thicket of problems is so difficult most philosophy simply gives up and takes to a simplified myth,often dressed in science jargon. The subject needs a trail guide steeped in the literature of the two great critiques, to connect them together, and the author does a good job digesting this legacy, much of it in German, stretching over two centuries. The book starts with Kant's Third Antinomy and proceeds through the whole terrain, including a discussion of radical evil.
It is worth noting how E.O. Wilson in Consilience decided sociobiology is going to have to start a holy war for science and Darwinism against books like this, with their keynote of transcendental freedom, the noumenal and phenomenal aspect of agency, self, and freedom. Why anyone would be dumb enough to wish such a fight is hard to comprehend. Even in the midst of the obvious difficulties of the now classic Kantian approach it stands like the Himalayas beyond the pretenses of later philosophy with its curious claims to have progressed beyond this point, when in fact they have mostly forgotten their own tradition, content with the pragmatism of the couch potato. ... Read more

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Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View essentially reflects the last lectures Kant gave for his annual course in anthropology, which he taught from 1772 until his retirement in 1796. The lectures were published in 1798, with the largest first printing of any of Kant's works. Intended for a broad audience, they reveal not only Kant's unique contribution to the newly emerging discipline of anthropology, but also his desire to offer students a practical view of the world and of humanity's place in it. With its focus on what the human being 'as a free-acting being makes of himself or can and should make of himself,' the Anthropology also offers readers an application of some central elements of Kant's philosophy. This volume offers a new annotated translation of the text by Robert B. Louden, together with an introduction by Manfred Kuehn that explores the context and themes of the lectures. ... Read more

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This is an electronic edition of the complete book complemented by author biography. This book features the table of contents linked to every chapter and footnote. The book was designed for optimal navigation on the Kindle, PDA, Smartphone, and other electronic readers. It is formatted to display on all electronic devices including the Kindle, Smartphones and other Mobile Devices with a small display.

Customer Reviews (1)

Kant's argument for finding the universal concept of beauty
I read this book for a graduate seminar on the philosophy of art.Kant is one of the major figures in expression theory.What we understand as aesthetics changed only recently.Kant lays this out well in his "Critique of Judgment," which is one of his easier books to comprehend!Science and math development was momentous in re-interpreting how nature is understood, and all this starts in his time.The modern science narrative that says ancient thought erred; caused a split between science and philosophy.Scientific method and math causes nature to be seen in a "mechanistic" way, there are no "value" judgments anymore so this valueless nature by science caused the split because nature can't explain values anymore.Thus, philosophy finds that "values" are in humans, not in nature, we are the "location" of values now.Beauty, which is a value, is an idea in our minds.This expression theory says something about us it is in our minds.Kant agrees with this notion of how modern science operates especially in "Critique of Pure Reason." However, with questions of art he doesn't rely on science.

Kant begins that there is such a thing as an experience of beauty, and that we normally presuppose that it must be compelling rather than just mere opinion unlike taste in food.Then he asks why would there be such a thing?He is now trying to lay out possible answers to that question.In the experience of beauty, the mind gets a special perspective on its own powers.Thus, this special perspective is free of the normal constraints of the things we do in our lives like knowing and worrying.Kant realizes that the aesthetic experience is subjective; it is in the human mind not in reality.He wants to make artistic judgments.Not just interested in individual subjectivity, he looks for a "universal" character of experience of judgment.It is not real useful to just catalogue people's subjective opinions.Kant says inter-subjective principle is part of the human mind as more of a collective.Thus, humans can make judgment.Kant's idea of taste is not to merely have a subjective opinion; people have a kind of competency they have discernment.The difficulty in this notion is, how does one know when they find a universal.

Kant astutely argues that one can't argue towards an aesthetic judgment like in logic, aesthetics is subjective but he wants humans to be able to say; "this painting is beautiful, and not just to me."Important point: is there such a thing as subjective universality?This is his dilemma, although he thinks there is if you can use the principle of "disinterest."The realm of subjectivity is realm of interests.Once one is divorced of all normal interest, one can view art with a "disinterested" view.This notion of disinterest screens out allot but has to be connected to pleasure but not mere opinion universally.The other important element of disinterest has been the continuing idea and even could be something that could be applicable to any area of art.There is something about art that has some relationship to a "pause" from normal relationships.There is something special about artworks that even though there was no such thing as a museum in Greece, Greek statuary and architecture was all part of the cityscape, part of the actual landscape and livingscape of Greece, and therefore part of the city so no such thing as a museum.However, whenever a statue was put up or a temple, or a play was put on, that would seem to be something different from the normal relationships with objects either in terms of using them for some practical purpose and therefore using them up giving the works some special reserve, special status.Disinterest wouldn't require that it have the subjectivism term because you would simply say that the whole point of art could be disengaged normal ways of engaging things, even if it didn't have a subjective theory of expression.According to this notion of "disinterest," the idea of political art would be a contradiction in terms.Art as applied as nothing more than serving political needs.Like how the Soviet Union used art for nothing else but to serve the workers revolution.Kant is saying, the whole idea of engaging beauty is to be divorced from the normal ways of things, and that would include end purposes, goals, and outcomes.

Distinction between subjective universal validity and objective universal validity.
An important argument Kant makes is that all judgments of "taste" and "beauty" are of a singular judgment.If it is unique, it cannot fit in the universal concept of beauty.There are no formulas, principles, or rules for identifying beauty.There is only the "possibility" of aesthetic judgments, so he can't list items of art that conform to his aesthetic judgment.Kant says something about art is different than everything else it doesn't have interest, axioms, rules, can't list things, but it has some positives, it is pleasurable, it draws us, it satisfies us, it isn't pleasure of practical needs or pleasure of knowledge or any interests.It doesn't excite our personal desires, it just gives us a direct experience of pleasure.Thus, Kant gives an intellectual picture of aesthetic taste and he says it is always a species of pleasure.The category of disinterest provides two notions for Kant, one is freedom, and the other is universality.By freedom, he means, freedom from both desire and knowledge, and that is the interesting part.

Another important concept for Kant is that the free play of imagination is one of the features that make up beauty.Free play of imagination of art gives pleasure because the mind is free from normal cognitive needs, logical rules, or empirical findings, practical needs, and therefore it has an element of openness.Thus, imagination is very important here, imagination is the ability to conjure up something that is not a fact in the real world.The free play in the imagination in art gives pleasure, because here the mind can simply enjoy its own cognitive powers independent of the constraints of the other realms, like science, math, logic, and other practical needs.Free play opens the idea that the artist has allot of leeway.The artist is not bound by facts and realities, nor is the audience someone who has to have that attitude either.Therefore, when you are looking at a painting or you are reading a poem or listening to music in this mode you are not bound by other ways of knowing.You are going to be free of that.What does that mean?First of all, all art is going to have a tangible means of presentation through sound or sight or color, texture, structure, so forth.This excites pleasure because art is a less ordered realm than other areas.Kant wouldn't say you could take pleasure in something that was chaotic.Kant says you can't force aesthetic judgment on others, but beauty has a universal claim, that is the tightrope he is walking.It is complicated, beauty is not chaotic, but not private opinion.

Disinterest and free play of mind is two sides of same coin.Imagination is not bound by normal modes of knowing, or normal needs or desires so it is associated with free play.Normally our desires are compelling to us.Imagination is the faculty, which is not bound to any particular object in the world that has to govern what we say.Then he goes to say that pleasure is the other element that has to be; that beauty has to be experienced as pleasure, and the theory does say something that is culturally specific, that pleasure comes from the experience of the harmony of the faculties.The free play of imagination is pleasurable, when within certain principles of harmony and order.This really is a kind of formalism, because it is not bound by the particular aesthetic object.This is one of the fullest senses of expression theory means, the expression of the mind's capacity rather then the direct reading out of the object itself.

So, what is aesthetic beauty, what is aesthetic judgment?Aesthetic judgment has to do with the sensuous form.So it obviously has to do with some kind of sensuous medium, some kind of visual or auditory stuff, which is probably what art is about, a sensuous form producing a harmony of the faculties that are released from normal judgments like science, and hence free to notice and explore structural relations and patterns as such.Not tied to condition or use or even the abstract universality of mere concepts (that is where singularity comes in).The abstract universality of mere concepts is there is a dog; the abstract concept of "dog" is the universal organization of all particular dogs.Here pleasure is excited which would not occur in logical form.So remember there are sensuous pleasures that are different from cognition; thus, scientific cognition has nothing to do with pleasure, it solely has to do with truth.So art is something that is disinterested, so therefore, it is relieved from the normal kinds of pleasures or normal kinds of things, but it is pleasure and in that respect, it is different from logic or reason.

Art is not something useful and you have to pick out what it isn't and say that yes aesthetic judgments can be made and there is such a thing as beauty.However, it doesn't operate the same way as normal reason does, it doesn't operate the way practical reason does, and it is not mere cognition because it has elements of sensuality and pleasure.The universality part of art has to do with disinterest and Kant is filling out the concept a little bit more.Kant argues that disinterest opens the door for the mind to enjoy its faculties independent of the usual ways in which the faculties are applied.The usual ways the faculties are applied are in science, the scientific accounts of nature, practical reasons like, "how do I get this thing done," these are the faculties that reach out towards something to understand.The artwork is obviously something that is out there, but with the power of aesthetic appreciation with artwork is not simply in the artwork but in the mind, the appreciation of the work by way of the mind's faculties and experience of pleasure.

Thus, Kant argues that everyone has there own taste, but the concept of the beautiful is universal.For Kant, the beautiful is a special characteristic.Thus, people can't deny an aesthetic judgment of taste.This sounds like Kant believes in cultural and foundational forms of beauty, which he observed in his Prussian society.

I recommend this work for anyone interested in philosophy and philosophy of art.
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In Raising the Tone of Philosophy, Peter Fenves expands the context of Jacques Derrida's work on voice and tonality by presenting the first English translations of two of Kant's important late essays, "On a Newly Arisen Superior Tone in Philosophy" and "Announcement of a Near Conclusion of a Treaty for Eternal Peace in Philosophy." The book also includes a revised translation, by John Leavey, of Derrida's "On a Newly Arisen Apocalyptic Tone in Philosophy," which rewrites and reorients Kant's essays. After showing how Kant and Derrida concur on at least one point -- the voice of reason guards a secret -- Fenves proposes that these essays reveal the ineluctable tonality of all philosophical texts, especially those that wish to announce an end to philosophy.

"Not only an indispensable text for readers of Kant and Derrida; it also encourages our hopes for that degree of clarity and light which we mere mortals may fleetingly enjoy." -- Michigan Quarterly Review

"Fenves has done an admirable job of tracing the occasion of Kant's polemics on tone." -- Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism

"This handy volume makes available [Derrida's] 'deconstructive' analysis of the Kantian critical tradition which has been heretofore unavailable to the English reading public." -- Reader's Review

"The chances of finding Derrida together with a philosopher like Kant are slim. In Peter Fenves's impeccably edited Raising the Tone of Philosophy, such an improbability is not only realized but is precisely what is at stake." -- TLS

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For the true bibliophile and design-savvy book lover, here is the next set of Penguin's celebrated Great Ideas series by some of history's most innovative thinkers. Acclaimed for their striking and elegant package, each volume features a unique type-driven design that highlights the bookmaker's art. Offering great literature and great design at great prices, this series is ideal for readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped our world.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Take a good look at the Publisher before you buy "Perpetual Peace"
The version of "Perpetual Peace" published by General Books LLC is a low quality version, using OCR scanning and an automated scanning device which can miss complete pages. Typos are frequent and there's no table of contents, also, there was absolutely no editing of the book. This is all stated on the publishers web site (google them and read up on the details).

The owner of General Books LLC, VDM Publishing, is, as a comment to the previous review stated, "polluting Amazon" with these ripoffs - almost every review of their books (approximately 500,000 of them from one of their imprints or another now listed on Amazon) by an actual buyer is negative, many are extremely so.

So be sure to craefully check which Punlisher you're ordering this book from - the Penguin version is undeniably good quality - Penguin actuall edit their books, unlike "General Books LLC." If you have bought the version from General Books LLC by mistake, you can return to Amazon within 30 days(but check Amazon's Return Policy for the details)

Not sure how or why this was published.
This looks more like classroom notes than a philosophical work. There are enough typos to make the book incoherent and the content doesn't flow at all. I honestly can't determine where the editor's notes end and the author's work begins. Aside from that, it appears that Kant's solution to war is world unification, a single country. There are definitely better works by Kant, and probably better presentations elsewhere for his proposals on perpetual peace.

Okay, a better explanation. This is NOT a book you want to buy. If you preview the book on Amazon, you'll get a message that says:

"Just so you know...
You originally clicked on the Paperback edition (2009) from General Books LLC. You are looking at the Paperback edition (2009) from Penguin Books Ltd. If you add this book to your cart, you'll get the edition you originally clicked on."

The content of the General Books version is completely, entirely, undeniably different than the version from Penguin Books. I believe the Penguin books version may have merit, but be sure not to buy the General Books version. There's actually a disclaimer in the General Books edition that says the book was created using OCR and there may be missing or extraneous characters inside. ... Read more

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Good value, Slow shipping
Item was in same condition as advertised, however even when paying for expedited shipping item took 4 days to be shipped and a week to receive. I would consider this to be OK for standard shipping. Expedited shipping should have product at buyers door within 4 days IMO.

Critique of Pure Reason
An excellent, brilliant study in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, one of the great thinkers in the Western World. ... Read more

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The second, corrected edition of the first and only complete English translation of Kant’s highly influentialintroduction to philosophy, presenting both the terminological and structural basis for his philosophical system, and offering an invaluable key to his main works, particularly the three Critiques. Extensive editiorial apparatus.
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Explore the horizon of cognition.
"Many persons find fault with all subtlety, because they cannot attain it. But in itself it always does honor to the understanding and is even meritorious and necessary, as long as it is applied to an object worthy of observation."
Between Plato's "pure reason" and Stephen Hawking's cosmological "horizons" stands Immanuel Kant, reaching out across the annals of critical thought, intent on disciplining the human mind in its pursuit of truth.
"All nature actually is nothing but a nexus of appearances according to rules; and there is nothing at all without rules. When we believe that we have come across an absence of rules, we can only say that the rules are unknown to us." With these words, Kant begins his examination of the relationship of cognition and logic, seeking to reduce the science of thought to rules of pure reason.
The history of the science of logic has produced a rather short list of so-called greats -- Aristotle, Leibniz, Wolff, Kant. Logic may be defined as the [fairly concise] science of all other sciences, and as Kant points out, not many giants or revolutionaries are needed. What the science of logic always lacks is simply this -- persons who are cognizant of it.
To this end Kant offers his Logic, published in 1800 as a text for his philosophy students.
Squeezing large ideas into small words is always a great difficulty when the pursuit is one of exactitude. If this isn't immediately self-evident then Kant's extensive focus on definitions make this aspect of logic painfully clear. He acknowledges the limitations of the human mind in its separateness from pure truth, asking, "What can man, as man, know at all?" The problem of language is a very large part of the human mind's difficulty and is addressed by Kant in the constant offering of definitions and comparisons of definitions. Thus portions of the text are tiring, but put on your "thinking cap" and hang in there. Kant abruptly steps from the tedious dictionary of Kant into brilliant sequences of reason that will excite the understanding and sensibility of the reader. I repeatedly found myself thinking: "Yes -- that's exactly right, I wouldn't have known how to articulate that relationship so clearly." The notoriously difficult Kant can become surprisingly translucent. I enjoyed this book beyond my expectations, and Kant even tells me why this is the case: "Our understanding is so organized that it finds satisfaction in mere insight, even more than in the utility arising from it. Plato had already observed this. Man herein ... sees what it means to have understanding. Men who lack this sense must envy animals."
As the work is largely a struggle with words, it is not surprising that the translators' introduction is so lengthy. It is also quite helpful, exploring, for example, Kant's indebtedness to Leibniz.

Useful and very interesting for students of Kant
Kant never wrote a book on Logic; this book is an authorized compilation of his lecture notes, edited by a graduate student of his, Gottlob Jaesche.It's not clear how much of it is Kant's work, what was added by Jaesche, and what goes back to the textbook Kant used for the course.Under these conditions it would be too much to expect any direct relationship, such as the translators claim, to the Critiques and other systematic works of Kant (Metaphysics of Morals, Metaphysical Principles of Natural Science, etc.)But it does illustrate what sort of science Kant thought logic was and how he thought it should be applied, and reference to it can often help the reader of his systematic works understand the course of the arguments there.

Logic was apparently the introductory course in philosophy where Kant taught, and his notes contained a sort of broad overview of philosophy, its history and meaning, included by Jaesche as an introduction which is actually longer than the main text, and in many ways more interesting too.Both parts are surprisingly easy to read, probably because there is very little argument, only definitions and assertions -- a consequence of the lecture format.The translators add their own introduction which is longer still, so you're really getting three books for the price of one.The translators' introduction is lamentably dense and dogmatic, but effectively relates Kant's logic to those of Descartes and Leibniz.Students of the Cartesian tradition, and those who think something is missing from modern mathematical logic, will find useful thoughts and references in this introduction.

The translation is idiosyncratic but generally self-consistent. ... Read more

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Making the ideas stick
The 'Critique of Practical Reason' is the second volume in Immanuel Kant's major Critique project. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is considered one of the giants of philosophy, of his age or any other. It is largely this book that provides the foundation of this assessment. Whether one loves Kant or hates him (philosophically, that is), one cannot really ignore him; even when one isn't directly dealing with Kantian ideas, chances are great that Kant is made an impact.

Kant was a professor of philosophy in the German city of Konigsberg, where he spent his entire life and career. Kant had a very organised and clockwork life - his habits were so regular that it was considered that the people of Konigsberg could set their clocks by his walks. The same regularity was part of his publication history, until 1770, when Kant had a ten-year hiatus in publishing. This was largely because he was working on this book, the 'Critique of Pure Reason'. He then published this second installment, 'Critique of Practical Reason', seven years later.

Kant as a professor of philosophy was familiar with the Rationalists, such as Descartes, who founded the Enlightenment and in many ways started the phenomenon of modern philosophy. He was also familiar with the Empiricist school (John Locke and David Hume are perhaps the best known names in this), which challenged the rationalist framework. Between Leibniz' monads and Hume's development of Empiricism to its logical (and self-destructive) conclusion, coupled with the Romantic ideals typified by Rousseau, the philosophical edifice of the Enlightenment seemed about to topple.

The foundations of this text (a much briefer one than the first Critique) can be found in the short volume 'Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals'. Whereas 'Groundwork' sets out some short, basic principles, the Critique is a more synthetic text - it takes these principles and combines them with experiences, then presenting them 'as the structure of a peculiar cognitive faculty, in their natural combination.'

According to translator and scholar Lewis White Beck, this second Critique has two functions - it affirms concepts 'without which moral experience would be unintelligible or impossible' while it negates dogmatism and fanaticism that claims unique ultimate insight into metaphysical realities. Kant does make his argument for the existence of the immortal soul and for God in this volume, but these are considered lesser areas of Kant's competence. His discussion of freedom and autonomy, carried forward from his discussion in 'Groundwork', is much more studied and used in today's philosophical circles. ... Read more

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Of all major philosophical works, Kant's Critique of Pure Reason is one of the most rewarding, yet one of the most difficult. Norman Kemp Smith's Commentary elucidates not only textual questions and minor issues, but also the central problems which arise, he contends, from the conflicting tendencies of Kant's own thinking. This standard work is reissued to meet a continuing demand. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Kemp Smith's Obsession
Based on Chris Limmek's review Norman Kemp Smith's commentary must be excellent!Because with Kant (and all difficult works) you need to spend pages "obsessing over terminological minutiae" and you need to focus on "differentiating different lines of argument" (etc)

Kemp Smith's Obsession
This commentary is extremely poor for a variety of reasons.First, Kemp Smith is one of the most notable translators of Kant's first Critique.One might think that this would add to the quality of his commentary, but in fact, it significantly detracts from it, as Smith spends pages obsessing over terminological minutiae and frequently misses the forrest for the trees.Second, Smith has something like a documentary hypothesis that governs his interpretation of the first Critique.He tends to think that the Critique is a haphazard collection of notes written by Kant during various periods of his philosophical development which were cobbled together only as late as two decades after being written.Accordingly, whenever he encounters any difficulty interpreting the text, he simply chalks it up to Kant's hodge podge text rather than attempting to gain some interesting insight into the material.Third, he tends to find five arguments for every one that Kant presents.His excessive focus on differentiating different lines of argument again distracts him from the larger issues raised by the text.The result is a commentary that provides great insight into the interpretive decisions of a translator, but no insight into the mind of a great philosopher.

An ampliative forrest preceeding an analytical exposition.
Anyone who has read this book in its totality iseither a hardcore academic, or simply likes taking forty minutes a page. This kind of work is not to be confused with the light and soapy philosophies that we see incompany statements, nor the glib employment of the word used by e-xtravertson their home pages (my philosophy is...). This book looks, throughampliative means, to bridge the erstwhile gap between the ungrounded claimsof arch-Rationalists,such as Liebnitz, who enable the possibility ofmetaphysics devoid of any 'sensible' checks (in Kants sense), and the drysobriety of Empiricists such as Hume, whose statements regarding suchthings as the non a-prioricity of cause and effect; the lack of anynecessary logical link between two events, leave us in a permanantprobabilistic divide between what is, and what must be.However, takeheart, the dry but illuminated Kant, puts man back at the centre of his ownuniverse (and something, we know not what, at the center of man). Readingthis book is not a passive activity! Knowledge of other positions inPhilosophy is also going to ease the way with this volume. If you have thetime and the inclination, you may never switch your brain off again! Whenpeople see it on your shelf, just say "Ahh, Hmm", then nodslowly. This way you need not back your self into any difficultconversations! (that's how I do it).

best translation available
This is recognized as the best and most thorough of any translation of this particular work of Kant. I also recommend,if you can find, S.Korner, his commentary of the Critique happens to be extremely well written andconcise. Both are a must for those whose are Kantian scholars, as well as,the interested in general.The chapters on space and time are excellent.

Legendary among grad students......
When this title was offered in paper, I snapped it up. This book was constantly cited by professors at the graduate level, but no students had ever seen a copy....It seemed to be "permanently" checked out bythe instructors.

It's a classic commentary on one of the seminal books of western philosophy. ... Read more

Product Description
"Thierry de Duve has sought, in this remarkable text, to 'understand whyMarcel Duchamp was such a great artist.' A task that calls uponresources beyond those of art history, art criticism, and aestheticanalysis, of all which the author is master. . . . The tone is wry,urbane, informed, and urgent; and it is a tribute to his appreciation ofthe depth of his subject that he takes us further in our understandingthan we have ever seen before, but leaves us with the sense that moreremains to be said than anyone before had imagined." -- Arthur C. Danto,Johnsonian Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Columbia University; andart critic, The Nation

Kant after Duchamp brings together eight essays around a central thesiswith many implications for the history of the avant-gardes. AlthoughDuchamps readymades broke with all previously known styles, Thierry deDuve observes that he made the logic of modernist art practice thesubject matter of his work, a shift in aesthetic judgment that replacedthe classical "this is beautiful" with "this is art." De Duve employsthis shift in a re-reading of Kant's Critique of Judgment thatreveals the hidden links between the radical experiments of Duchamp andthe Dadaists and mainstream pictorial modernism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

For the French Post-Structuralist Lover
If you have a background in French critical theory, arising from the 1970's, this book will be a totally fascinating one.If not...you may be baffled, find the book not what you expected, and get angry that you've spent this much money on a work you can't understand.Be forewarned.That having been said, Thierry de Duve is one of the most outstanding contemporary art theoriticians writing today.His slant on Duchamp and Duchamp's impact on subsequent modern/contemporary art is without parallel.

Kant was a Lutheran
What's missing in this marvelous book is a discussion of Kant's Lutheran religious aspect.Most philosophers treat him as a secular philosopher, but he wasn't.The assault on Christianity by the entire left has seemingly eclipsed the fact that all of the great 19th century thinkers were Lutherans: Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, of course, but also Nietzsche (who was raised as a Lutheran and whose seventeen prior generations of father, grandfather, etc., had been Lutheran pastors), Marx raised in a Lutheran household, and so on.

What Duchamp does is knock out the otherworldly purposiveness that Kant claimed for art.Thierry de Duve aborts the seriousness of his discussion by neglecting the theological dimension of Kant's inquiry.

However, this is still a great book albeit a limited one, as he could have gone further to the heart of the culture wars by contrasting the Sadean nature of the surrealist enterprise with the Christian nature of the Kantian.

Subliminal
A difficult question posed and a difficult answer given. In struggling with two of the most influential personnas in our culture, De Duve does himself, and aesthetics good. Long and convoluted (to the extreme ofworking out a symbolic logic of Duchamp?) this is nonetheless a great book ... Read more

Product Description
Kant was centrally concerned with issues in the philosophy of natural science throughout his career. The Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science presents his most mature reflections on these themes in the context of both his 'critical' philosophy, presented in the Critique of Pure Reason, and the natural science of his time. This volume presents a new translation, by Michael Friedman, which is especially clear and accurate. There are explanatory notes indicating some of the main connections between the argument of the Metaphysical Foundations and the first Critique - as well as parallel connections to Newton's Principia. The volume is completed by an historical and philosophical introduction and a guide to further reading. ... Read more

Product Description
Continuum's "Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to classic works of philosophy. Each book explores the major themes, historical and philosophical context and key passages of a major philosophical text, guiding the reader toward a thorough understanding of often demanding material. Ideal for undergraduate students, the guides provide an essential resource for anyone who needs to get to grips with a philosophical text. "Kant's Critique of Pure Reason" is arguably the most important work of philosophy of the last two centuries. It is a classic text that is encountered by virtually every student of philosophy. As such, this is a hugely important and exciting, yet notoriously challenging, piece of philosophical writing. In "Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason': A Reader's Guide", James Luchte offers a clear and thorough account of this key philosophical work. The book offers a detailed review of the key themes and a lucid commentary that will enable readers to rapidly navigate the text.Geared towards the specific requirements of students who need to reach a sound understanding of the text as a whole, the guide explores the complex and important ideas inherent in the text and provides a cogent survey of the reception and influence of Kant's hugely important work. ... Read more

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"Excerpt from the book..."

Den Wachstum der Wissenschaften an seinem Teile befördern, heißt an
Ew. Exzellenz eigenem Interesse arbeiten; denn dieses ist mit jenen,
nicht bloß durch den erhabenen Posten eines Beschützers, sondern
durch das viel vertrautere eines Liebhabers und erleuchteten Kenners,
innigst verbunden. Deswegen bediene ich mich auch des einigen Mittels,
das gewissermaßen in meinem Vermögen ist, meine Dankbarkeit für das
gnädige Zutrauen zu bezeigen, womit Ew. Exzellenz mich beehren, als
könne ich zu dieser Absicht etwas beitragen
... Read more

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1915. Between the visions of Swedenborg and those of the metaphysicians of his time, Kant drew a surprising parallel. Swedenborg believed himself to be a familiarly acquainted with the beyond as with his own house. Was not the case the same with the philosophers? Kant believed himself to be in a position to explain these delusions, the one by the other, and so to get rid of both. So entirely did Kant look down upon Swedenborg and his contemporaries the metaphysicians that he merely played with them, handling them now with serious irony, now with sly humor, sometimes pouring upon them his gallish scorn and dealing them the sharpest blows of his cynical wit. ... Read more