1st Edition
Kant and the Problem of Morality Rethinking the Contemporary World
This book examines the significance of Kant’s moral philosophy in contemporary philosophical debates. It argues that Kant’s philosophy can still serve as a guide to navigate the turbulence of a globalized world in which we are faced by an imprescriptible social reality wherein moral values and ethical life models are becoming increasingly unstable. The volume draws on Kantian ethics to discuss various contemporary issues, including sustainable development, moral enhancement, sexism, and racism. It also tackles general concepts of practical philosophy such as lying, the different kinds of moral duties, and the kind of motivation one needs for doing what we consider the right thing.
Featuring readings by well-known Kant specialists and emerging scholars with unorthodox approaches to Kant’s philosophy, the volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of philosophy, politics and ethics. It will also appeal to moral theorists, applied ethicists and environmental theorists.
An introduction
Luigi Caranti and Alessandro Pinzani
1. On dealing with Kant’s sexism and racism
Pauline Kleingeld
2. Kant the naturalist
Robert B. Louden
3. Pleasure and Displeasure as Moral Motivation
Maria Borges
4. Inefficacy, despair, and difference-making. a secular application of Kant’s moral argument
Andrew Chignell
5. Lying, deception and dishonesty: Kant and the contemporary debate on the definition of lying
Stefano Bacin
6. The duty and the maxims: elements for a morality and culture of sustainable development
Anselmo Aportone
7. Kant as an ante litteram theorist and critic of the moral enhancement
Alberto Pirni
8. Spielraum: narrow and wide duties and their consequences
Claudio La Rocca
Biography
Luigi Caranti is Professor of Political Philosophy at the Università di Catania. He focuses on Kant, human rights, peace studies and distributive justice. Principal investigator of numerous EU-funded research projects, he is currently coordinating the Marie Curie Rise project “Kant in South America”. Among his recent publications are The Kantian Federation (2022), (ed. with D. Celentano) Paradigms of Justice: Redistribution, Recognition and Beyond (2021) and Kant’s Political Legacy: Human Rights, Peace, Progress (2017).
Alessandro Pinzani is Professor for Ethics and Political Philosophy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis (Brazil) and, since 2006, he is a fellow researcher of CNPq (Brazilian Research Council). His publications include Jürgen Habermas (2007), An den Wurzeln moderner Demokratie (2009) and Money, Autonomy, and Citizenship (with W. Leão Rego, 2018).
