“Kant is an absolutely first-rate general introduction
to Kant's Critical Philosophy. Paul Guyer's
interpretations are extremely well-supported, carefully
and crisply argued, and highly insightful.”
–Robert Hanna, University of Colorado
“An impressive overview of the various strands of
Kant's philosophy. With great skill Guyer manages to
compress Kant's critical thought into a few hundred
pages. This book will provide an excellent introduction
to Kant's thought.”
–Philip Stratton-Lake, University of Reading
“The book is impressive in very many ways. It
demonstrates a mastery of the Kantian corpus and an
ability to explain exceedingly complex arguments in a
clear and accessible fashion. I think it will become
essential reading for students wanting to grasp the
broad sweep of Kant's thought without losing much by way
of depth.”
–Andrew Chignell, Cornell University
“That Guyer is able to cover this much material,
clearly and without oversimplification, in a single,
reasonably sized volume represents a unique
accomplishment, which should prove to be extremely
useful to a broad audience.”
–Eric Watkins, University of California, San Diego
Book Description:
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is arguably the most
influential of the Enlightenment Philosophers. In this
outstanding introduction, Paul Guyer introduces and
assesses all the major aspects of Kant's thought.
Beginning with a helpful overview of Kant's life and
times, Guyer introduces the "Copernican
revolution" Kant brought about in metaphysics and
epistemology, carefully introducing his arguments about
the nature of experience, space and time in his most
influential but difficult work, The Critique of Pure
Reason. He gives a much-needed explanation of Kant's
famous theory of transcendental idealism, a cornerstone
of his philosophy as a whole.
He then examines Kant's moral philosophy, clearly
explaining Kant's celebrated "categorical
imperative" and his theories of duty, freedom of
the will, and rights. Finally, he covers Kant's
aesthetics, in particular his arguments about the nature
of beauty and the sublime and their relation to human
freedom and happiness.
A concluding chapter considers Kant's legacy and his
influence on the shape of contemporary philosophy.
Kant is an ideal starting point for anyone coming to the
philosopher for the first time, as well as those
studying Kant in related disciplines.
