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Kant's Theory of Freedom in the Context of Enlightenment Philosophy of the 18th Century

Publication |
2019

Abstract

The study deals with the main problems of Kant's theory of deontic ethics and his transcendental concept of freedom in his moral philosophy. Unlike Aristotle's eudaimonic ethics, Kant has conceived the normative concept of human freedom as the highest duty and obligation to obey a universal moral law.

Freedom, in his account, is the ethical autonomy of pure good will to act according to the rules of Reason. This normative idea of freedom represents in Kant's concept a heuristic clue in searching for deeper metaphysic foundations of modern human ethics.

The study also emphasizes that the main goal of Kant's theory of freedom was to build deeper philosophical foundations of modern humanism. The final part of the study stresses its importance for contemporary philosophical thought and its great legacy.