Comprehensive Commentary on Kant's Religion Within the Bounds of Bare Reason Paperback - 2021

From the rear cover

"In this thorough commentary with a new translation, Palmquist argues that Kant treats religion as a distinctive experience, beyond both knowledge and morality, and that his major writing on religion is the central and culminating work of his philosophical endeavor. It is an impressive and intriguing accomplishment."
Richard Velkley, Tulane University

"Kant's Religion within the Bounds of Bare Reason is arguably his most underrated great work, and there is probably no better qualified commentator on it than Palmquist."
Wayne Pomerleau, Gonzage University

Stephen Palmquist's Comprehensive Commentary provides the first definitive explication of Kant's Religion within the Bounds of Bare Reason. The volume includes the full text of Kant's original work in a revised version of Pluhar's translation divided into short quotations. Palmquist offers editorial commentary on each segment, as well as detailed notes tracing other important issues including problems of translation, Kant's sources, and key arguments in the recent secondary literature.

The Commentary reflects contemporary currents in Kant scholarship and takes Kant seriously as a theorist on religion, rather than merely a philosopher who discusses religion as an appendix to his ethics. Palmquist's distinctive interpretation provides detailed evidence that Kant's approach is not reductionist; a balanced focus on both of Kant's two so-called 'experiments'; and an appreciation for and acknowledgement of the deep respect Kant had for the Christian tradition, despite his criticisms. In doing so, Palmquist provides Kant students and scholars with an essential reference, demonstrating that Kant's arguments in Religion are not only cogent, but have clear and profound practical applications to the way religion is actually practiced in the world today.