The Evil of Immanuel Kant
Webcast Q&A: 12 June 2011, Question 2
I answered a question on the evil of immanuel kant on 12 June 2011. You can listen to or download the podcast of just this question below – or check out the whole episode of Philosophy in Action Radio.
Was Immanuel Kant evil rather than just wrong – and if so, why and how? I understand that Kant's ideas are very wrong, even evil. But couldn't he have been honestly mistaken, perhaps not taking his own work seriously? Given that he never advocated or did anything even remotely comparable to Hitler's genocide, why should he be regarded as evil, if at all?
My Answer, In Brief: Kant's philosophy cannot be the result of honest errors, and he did know, or ought to have known, of its destructive power. Hence, he should be regarded as evil, not merely mistaken.
Tags: Ethics, Immanuel Kant, Judgment, Justice, Metaphysics, Philosophy
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- Duration: 14:48
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Relevant Links
- Was Kant Necessarily Dishonest? (2004) and David Kelly Versus Ayn Rand on Kant (2006) by Diana Brickell
- Understanding Objectivism by Leonard Peikoff
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I'm Dr. Diana Brickell. I'm a philosopher specializing in the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. I received my Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009. My book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame, is available for purchase in paperback and Kindle. The book defends the justice of moral praise and blame of persons using an Aristotelian theory of moral responsibility, thereby refuting Thomas Nagel's "problem of moral luck."
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