The BSHP Antognazza Lecture (formally the Annual Lecture), features an accessible paper from a distinguished speaker in the history of philosophy. This year we are delighted to welcome Professor Pauline Kleingeld to the University of Edinburgh. Professor Kleingeld is internationally renowned for her work in the area of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, contemporary Kantian ethics and philosophical cosmopolitanism and its history. She has published on themes including free will, the role of emotions, and cosmopolitanism in the past and present.

Republican Themes in Kant's Moral Theory

Kant’s political philosophy is increasingly recognized as being rooted in the republican tradition. However, his Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, despite its rich use of political language and analogies, has hardly been examined through the lens of Kant’s republican commitments. In this paper, I begin by outlining Kant’s unique brand of republicanism. I then explore how the various formulations of the Categorical Imperative, Kant’s theory of autonomy, and his understanding of freedom of the will reflect his republican ideals. I argue that central elements of Kant’s republicanism suggest solutions to several longstanding problems in interpreting Kant’s moral theory.

Location: University of Edinburgh, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, 7 George Square (Psychology Building), Room F21.

All Welcome!