Kant on faith

religious assent and the limits to knowledge

Lawrence Pasternack

pp. 515-538

in: The Palgrave Kant handbook, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2017

Abstract

In the 1787 preface to the Critique of Pure Reason, Kant writes that among the goals of his critical project is to determine the "limits to knowledge" in order to "make room for faith" (Bxxx). Although this comment has long been treated as an empty bromide, recent "affirmative" interpretations of Kant's philosophy of religion have come to take it more seriously. This chapter explores Kant's views on the relationship between faith and knowledge. The first half of the chapter focuses on Moral/Pure Rational Faith as it relates to the Highest Good and Practical Postulates. The second half turns to Historical/Ecclesiastical Faith, particularly as it is employed in Kant's religious writings of the 1790s.

Cited authors

Kant Immanuel