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Series:   Elements in the Philosophy of Immanuel Kant

Anthropology from a Kantian Point of View

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2021

Robert B. Louden
Robert B. Louden
Affiliation:
University of Southern Maine

Summary

Kant's anthropological works represent a very different side of his philosophy, one that stands in sharp contrast to the critical philosophy of the three Critiques. For the most part, Kantian anthropology is an empirical, popular, and, above all, pragmatic enterprise. After tracing its origins both within his own writings and within Enlightenment culture, the Element turns next to an analysis of the structure and several key themes of Kantian anthropology, followed by a discussion of two longstanding contested features - viz., moral anthropology and transcendental anthropology. The Element concludes with a defense of the value and importance of Kantian anthropology, along with replies to a variety of criticisms that have been levelled at it over the years. Kantian anthropology, the author argues, is 'the eye of true philosophy'.
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Keywords

Kantanthropologyphilosophical anthropologypragmatic anthropologymoral anthropologytranscendental anthropology
Type
Element
Information
Series: Elements in the Philosophy of Immanuel Kant
Online ISBN: 9781108592871
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 11 March 2021

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