Philosophy 225
Kant's Religious and Political Philosophy
Wednesdays, 4:00-6:00
Emerson 310

I. Instructor

Christine M. Korsgaard
205 Emerson Hall
Office Telephone: 617-495-3916
E-Mail: Christine_Korsgaard@harvard.edu
Office Hours: Thursdays, 2:00-4:00 and by appointment

II. Required Books

Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, edited by Richard Popkin. Hackett, 1980.

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, translated by Norman Kemp Smith. St. Martin's, 1965.

Kant, Practical Philosophy, translated by Mary Gregor. Cambridge, 1996.

Kant, Religion and Rational Theology, translated by George di Giovanni. Cambridge, 1996.

Kant, Critique of Judgment, translated by Werner Pluhar. Hackett, 1987.

III. Recommended Book

Kant, Lectures on Ethics, translated by Peter Heath. Cambridge, 1997.

IV. Written Assignments

i) Seminar Presentation. Every enrolled student is required to present at least one paper to the seminar. Depending on class size, enrolled students may be invited to present more than one paper, or auditors may be invited to do presentations. The paper should be 20-30 minutes in presentation time. The text of the paper must be turned in to me by 5:00 on the Tuesday before the seminar at which it is to be presented, and an outline or handout must be prepared for distribution to all participants at the seminar at which at which it will be presented. Discussion will follow.

ii) Weekly two-page papers. Every enrolled student is required to hand in two pages of writing each week, except the weeks in which they present papers. These short papers will be due by 5:00 each Tuesday, and must deal with the readings for the seminar on Wednesday. Apart from that requirement, the topic is entirely up to you - you may summarize the material, give a reading of a difficult passage, criticize one of Kant's arguments, defend it against a possible criticism - as long as it concerns the reading for the week in question. These papers will not be graded, but you must turn them in order to pass the course.

iii) Seminar Paper. A seminar paper of 15-20 pages is due on Friday, January 11. It may be, but does not have to be, an expanded version of your seminar presentation.

V. Schedule of Topics and Readings

Kant's Theory of Moral Religion

9/19 Proofs of the Existence of God in General: The Cosmological and Ontological Proofs

Critique of Pure Reason, The Dialectic, Book I, pp. 308-326 [A310/B366-A338-B396]
Book II, Chapter III: The Ideal of Pure Reason, pp. 485-531 [A567/B595- A642/B670]
Recommended:
Lectures on The Philosophical Doctrine of Religion (in Religion and Rational Theology), Introduction and First Part, First and Second Sections pp. 341-398 [28:993-1062]
Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Part IX, pp. 54-57


9/26 The Argument from Design, or Physico-Theological Proof

Critique of Pure Reason, The Ideal of Pure Reason, continued, especially pp. 518-531 [A620/B648-A642-B670]
Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Parts II-XI, pp. 13-76
Recommended: Lectures on the Philosophical Doctrine of Religion, First Part, Third Section, pp, 398-405 [28:1063-1071]


10/3 Moral Faith: The First Critique Version

Critique of Pure Reason, The Canon of Pure Reason, pp. 629-652 [A797/B825-A830-B858]
"On the common saying: 'That may be correct in theory, but it is of no use in practice'" Introduction and Section I, "On the Relation of Theory to Practice in Morals Generally" (in Practical Philosophy), pp. 279-290 [8:275-289]
Recommended: Lectures on the Philosophical Doctrine of Religion, 2nd Part, Sections One and Two, pp. 406-421 [28:1071-1091]


10/10 Moral Faith: The Second Critique Version: The Antinomy

Critique of Practical Reason (in Practical Philosophy), The Dialectic, pp. 226-258 [5:107-148]
Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason (in Religion and Rational Theology), pp. 57-60 [6:3-7]
Recommended Lectures on the Philosophical Doctrine of Religion, Appendix, pp. 447-451 [28:1122-1126]

10/17 Moral Faith: The Second Critique Version, continued: God and Immortality

Critique of Practical Reason, The Dialectic, continued
Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason, pp. 79-103 [6:32-60]; 108-117 [6:65-78]
"The End of All Things" (in Religion and Rational Theology), pp. 221-231 [8:327-339]


10/24 Moral Faith: The Third Critique Version, and the Nature of Faith

Critique of Judgment, Methodology of Teleological Judgment, pp. 301-381 [5:416-485]



Kant's Theory of the Political State

10/31 The Nature of Right and Justice

Preface and Introduction to The Metaphysics of Morals (in Practical Philosophy), pp. 365-385 [6:205-221]
Introduction to The Metaphysical First Principles of the Doctrine of Right, pp. 386-397 [6:229-242]
Introduction to The Metaphysical First Principles of the Doctrine of Virtue, Sections I-XI, pp. 512-527 [6:379-398]
The Doctrine of Right, Part I, "Private Right", Chapter One, pp. 401-411 [6:245-257]


11/7 The Rights of Individuals

The Doctrine of Right, Private Right, Chapters Two and Three, pp. 411-452 [6:258-308]
From the Appendix, Sections 1-4 and 6-7, pp. 492-497 [6:356-362]; pp. 498-501 [6:363- 366]
Recommended: Selections from the Lectures on Ethics on Friendship, Marriage, and Sexuality.
pp. 22-24, 25, 155-162, 180, 182, 184-190, 199, 207, 348, 377-381, 403-404, 407-415, 423-424


11/14 The Rights of States

The Doctrine of Right, Public Right, Section I, "The Right of a State," pp. 455-481 [6:311-342]
From the Appendix, Sections 5 & 8, and Conclusion, pp. 497-498 [6:362-363]; pp. 501- 506 [6:367-372]
"On the Common Saying: 'That may be correct in theory but it is of no use in practice.'" Section II, "On the Relation of Theory to Practice in The Right of a State," pp. 290-304 [8:289-306]
Recommended: Selections from the Lectures on Ethics on punishment:
pp. 77-89, 181, 193-194, 283-286, 303-323, 415-419
Korsgaard, "Taking the Law into Our Own Hands: Kant on the Right to Revolution." In Reclaiming the History of Ethics: Essays for John Rawls. Cambridge, 1997. I will put a copy of this essay on reserve in Robbins Library.


11/21 The Same Continued



Kant's Theory of History and World Peace

11/28 World Peace and Political Faith

The Doctrine of Right, Public Right, Sections II, "The Right of Nations," and III, "Cosmopolitan Right," and the Conclusion, pp. 482-492 [6:343-355]
"Toward Perpetual Peace," (in Practical Philosophy) pp. 317-351 [8:343-351]


12/5 Prospects for the Future

"On the Common Saying: 'This may be correct in theory but it is of no use in practice.'" Section III, "On the Relation of Theory to Practice in The Right of Nations etc.," pp. 304-309 [8:307-312]
"Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose" [8:17-31] On Reserve in Robbins.
"An Answer to the Question: 'What is enlightenment?'" (in Practical Philosophy), pp. 17-22 [8:35-42]
Second Part of the Conflict of the Faculties: "An Old Question Raised Again: Is the Human Race Constantly Progressing?" (in Religion and Rational Theology), pp. 297-309 [7:79-94]


12/12 The Same Continued