The Critique of Practical Reason - Immanuel Kant

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Résumé :
The Critique of Practical Reason is the second of Immanuel Kant's three critiques and it deals with Kant's own moral philosophy and his views on free will. A masterpiece of philosophical writing. The theoretical use of reason was concerned with objects of the cognitive faculty only, and a critical examination of it with reference to this use applied properly only to the pure faculty of cognition; because this raised the suspicion, which was afterwards confirmed, that it might easily pass beyond.

Biographie:
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was a German philosopher whose work reshaped the course of modern philosophy. A central figure of the Enlightenment, he is best known for his critical philosophy, particularly the three major critiques: The Critique of Pure Reason, The Critique of Practical Reason, and The Critique of Judgment. Kant's thought addresses the limits of knowledge, the foundations of morality, and the nature of human perception, exerting a lasting influence on philosophy, ethics, aesthetics, and the humanities more broadly....

Sommaire:
A central work of moral philosophy in which Immanuel Kant establishes the foundations of ethical law through the concept of reason as a source of obligation. First published in 1788, The Critique of Practical Reason forms the second of Kant's major critical works and advances his account of morality as grounded not in consequence or inclination, but in the autonomous operation of rational will. Kant's inquiry proceeds from the premise that practical reason is capable of determining action according to universal law. From this he derives the concept of the moral law, articulated through the categorical imperative, which binds rational agents irrespective of circumstance. The work further develops the relation between freedom, duty, and the highest good, situating ethical life within a framework that unites rational necessity with moral responsibility. Distinct from the epistemological concerns of the Critique of Pure Reason, this volume addresses the conditions under which action may be considered morally valid, establishing a systematic account of obligation that has shaped subsequent philosophical discourse. Its influence extends across modern ethics, political philosophy, and theology, where Kant's formulation of autonomy and law continues to serve as a point of reference and debate. This edition presents the text in the classic English translation by Thomas Kingsmill Abbott, preserving the precision and structure of Kant's argument for contemporary readers engaged in the study of philosophy....