Against the received view of Kant's theory of religion, this collection explores a hermeneutic tradition that interprets Kant's moral vision as affirming a legitimate role for 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 edited volumes have focused on affirmative interpretations. The contributors to this volume examine historical and methodological issues in interpreting Kant's theory of religion, investigatedifferent aspects of Kant's theory of rational faithand the role of the highest good in it, interpret specific theories in Kant's Religion, and discuss the implications of Kant's theory for religious faith.
Together, the contributors to this edited collection provide 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.