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Kant's Moral Vision as an Affirmative Approach to Religion

Expanding the New Hermeneutic Tradition

Kant's Moral Vision as an Affirmative Approach to Religion cover

Kant's Moral Vision as an Affirmative Approach to Religion

Expanding the New Hermeneutic Tradition

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Description

Against the received view of Kant's theory of religion, this collection explores a hermeneutic tradition in which Kant's moral vision does affirm non-moral features of religion.

Edited by Meredith Trexler Drees and Stephen R. Palmquist, the book explores a new way of interpreting Kant's theory of religion that has gradually gained traction among Kant scholars over the past half century, to the extent that in the past twenty years it has arguably overtaken the traditional way of reading Kant's theory of religion as the dominant hermeneutic paradigm. Throughout much of the 19th and 20th centuries, scholars read Kant's writings on religion as an attempt to reduce religion to nothing but morality. Following this view, one can dispose of any and all actual religious traditions and beliefs, as long as one lives a morally good life. During the past two decades the alternative new paradigm has come to be called the "affirmative" way of interpreting Kant's theology and philosophy of religion.

Although past work on different aspects of the affirmative reading of Kant's theory of religion has been voluminous, only a few have focused on affirmative interpretations. The contributors examine historical and methodological issues in interpreting Kant's theory of religion, investigate different aspects of Kant's theory of rational faith and the role of the highest good in it, interpret specific theories in Kant's Religion, and discuss the implications of religious faith.

Together, the edited collection provides an overview of the affirmative approach as a tool Kantians can use when explicating Kant's philosophy of religion, while highlighting the variety of affirmative interpretations.

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Table of Contents

Introduction

PART ONE: History and Methodology
Chapter 1. In What Sense Does Kant have a Vision of 'Affirmative Religion'? Reflections on an Evolving Hermeneutic Revolution, Stephen Palmquist, Hong Kong Baptist University, China
Chapter 2. Kant's Religion: between Fichte's skepticism and Storr's scholasticism, Layne Hancock, Institute for Future Conflict, USA
Chapter 3. Kant's Methodology in Religion: Common Religion as Natural, Revealed, and Learned, Brandon Love, Hong Kong Baptist University, China

PART TWO: Rational Faith and the Highest Good
Chapter 4. Faith as a Need of Reason, Addison Ellis, American University in Cairo, Egypt
Chapter 5. God, Freedom and Immortality: Kant's Moral Transcendental Argument for Theism Re-Examined, Harry Bunting, University of Ulster, Ireland
Chapter 6. Kant on the Sincerity of Faith, Lawrence Pasternack, Oklahoma State University, USA

PART THREE: Specific Religious Affirmations
Chapter 7. Religion as Cognition: Objective Reality and the Son of God as Prototype, Jeffrey Wilson, Loyola Marymount University, USA
Chapter 8. A Kantian High Christology? Jaeha Woo, Claremont School of Theology, USA
Chapter 9. Should a Kantian Worship God? An Ambivalent Affirmation in Kant's Religion, Stewart Clem, Aquinas Institute of Theology, USA

PART FOUR: Theological Implications of Kant's Moral Vision
Chapter 10. Between Deism and Christianity: The Religion Kant Affirmed, Anna Tomaszewska, Jagiellonian University, Poland
Chapter 11. Critique as Theological Humility: The Historicity of Human Reason and the Scope of Theological Discourse, Philip Rossi, Marquette University, USA
Chapter 12. Achtung and The Sublime: The Resurrection of a Suffering Servant, Meredith Trexler Drees, Kansas Wesleyan University, USA

Bibliography
Index

Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published 10 Dec 2026
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Pages 256
ISBN 9798216441342
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Series Contemporary Studies in Idealism
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Anthology Editor

Meredith Trexler Drees

Meredith Trexler Drees was Associate Professor in…

Anthology Editor

Stephen R. Palmquist

Stephen R. Palmquist is Professor (retired) in the…

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