The reality of the ideal : a study of Kant's highest good /
"They are too relative to feelings, varying standards, or shifting mores. For anything to deserve the title of the good, by contrast, Kant thought that every rational being must be able to deem it choice worthy, regardless of whether one personally desires it or not. Whatever is good, in short,...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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New York, NY :
Oxford University Press,
[2025]
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| Summary: | "They are too relative to feelings, varying standards, or shifting mores. For anything to deserve the title of the good, by contrast, Kant thought that every rational being must be able to deem it choice worthy, regardless of whether one personally desires it or not. Whatever is good, in short, must be absolutely so. Therefore, for Kantians (though non-Kantians can easily endorse this too), the good is an unequivocal concept, which rises above individual whim, above groupthink, above tribalism, above what is fashionable, above cultural norms - above even space and time. But what then qualifies as good in this unequivocal sense? Kant is perhaps most famous for stating that the only unequivocally good thing is a good will. His thought, while bound up with complex arguments, is also highly intuitive. Take anything that one might typically call "good," like money, health, youth, or even virtues like courage and frugality. Now, think about them possessed by someone - picture a paragon of maleficence - who uses them for nefarious purposes"-- |
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| Physical Description: | xxxiv, 307 pages ; 25 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780197785997 0197785999 |