Choosing Freedom - A Kantian Guide to Life

An exploration of everything Kant's philosophy can teach us about being the best people we can be, from using our human reasoning to its fullest potential to being affably drunk at dinner parties.

Immanuel Kant is well known as one of the towering figures of Western philosophical history, but he is less well known for his savvy advice about hosting dinner parties. This philosophical genius was a man of many interests and talents: his famously formal and abstract ethical system is only part of his story. But Kant not only made a profound impact on how people think about big questions like how to treat one another--he also offered wise insights on things people confront in everyday life: things like gossip, friendship, manners, self-respect, cheerfulness, gratitude, mockery, contempt, and yes, dinner parties. In this book, philosopher Karen Stohr shows you how Kant's whole ethical picture fits together. It's a picture that is as relevant and useful now as it was in the 18th century--and maybe even more so.

A Kantian way of living means using reason to guide your choices so that your life reflects your true nature as a free, rational being. This nature is one we share with others; Kantianism emphasizes the fundamental dignity and equality of each person. It presents an ideal for how we should live together without downplaying the challenges we face in the actual world. Though realistic about human weaknesses, Kant remained optimistic about our capacities and possibilities. He had great faith in the ability of human reason to point us in the direction of moral progress and to get us there. Each of us has the power within us to know and choose the right path--we just have to be willing to make that choice, and to discover how worthwhile life can be in the process.

List of contents

• Part One: Kantian Basics


• Chapter 1 - Getting to Know Kant


• Chapter 2 - Freedom


• Chapter 3 - Human Nature


• Chapter 4 - Moral Commitment


• Chapter 5 - The Categorical Imperative: Equality


• Chapter 6 - The Categorical Imperative: Dignity


• Chapter 7 - The Categorical Imperative: Community


• Chapter 8 - Love and Respect


• Chapter 9 - Kantian Duties
  


• Part Two: Moral Assessment


• Chapter 10 - Knowing Ourselves


• Chapter 11 - Judging Ourselves


• Chapter 12 - Judging Others
  


• Part Three: Kantian Vices


• Chapter 13 - Servility: Acting Like a Doormat


• Chapter 14 - Arrogance: Being Full of Ourselves


• Chapter 15 - Contempt: Looking Down on Others


• Chapter 16 - Defamation: Spreading Gossip


• Chapter 17 - Mockery: Making Fun of Others


• Chapter 18 - Deceitfulness: Bending the Truth


• Chapter 19 - Drunkenness: Losing Our Grip on Reason
  


• Part Four: Kantian Life Goals


• Chapter 20 - Personal Development: Making Something of Ourselves


• Chapter 21 - Stoic Cheerfulness: Learning to Grin and Bear It


• Chapter 22 - Judicious Reserve: Knowing When to Shut Up


• Chapter 23 - Useful Beneficence: Lending a Genuinely Helpful Hand


• Chapter 24 - Heartfelt Gratitude: Acknowledging Our Debts
  


• Part Five: Socializing, Kantian-Style


• Chapter 25 - Friends and Frenemies


• Chapter 26 - A Kantian Love Life


• Chapter 27 - Good Manners


• Chapter 28 - Dinner Parties without Drama
  


• Part Six: Looking Forward


• Chapter 29 - Staying Hopeful


• Chapter 30 - Kant as a Guide to Life


• Bibliography
  

About the author

Karen Stohr is the Ryan Family Professor of Metaphysics and Moral Philosophy at Georgetown University, where she is also a Senior Research Scholar in the Kennedy Institute of Ethics. She publishes in the areas of Kantian ethics, Aristotelian virtue ethics, and contemporary ethical theory, focusing especially the relationship between moral norms and social norms. Her previous books include On Manners (Routledge, 2011) and Minding the Gap: Moral Ideals and Moral Improvement (Oxford University Press, 2019). Her articles have appeared The New York Times and the Houston Chronicle, and she writes an ethics column for the Washingtonian. She has been interviewed on NPR and Philosophy Talk.

Summary

An exploration of everything Kant's philosophy can teach us about being the best people we can be, from using our human reasoning to its fullest potential to being affably drunk at dinner parties.

Immanuel Kant is well known as one of the towering figures of Western philosophical history, but he is less well known for his savvy advice about hosting dinner parties. This philosophical genius was a man of many interests and talents: his famously formal and abstract ethical system is only part of his story. But Kant not only made a profound impact on how people think about big questions like how to treat one another--he also offered wise insights on things people confront in everyday life: things like gossip, friendship, manners, self-respect, cheerfulness, gratitude, mockery, contempt, and yes, dinner parties. In this book, philosopher Karen Stohr shows you how Kant's whole ethical picture fits together. It's a picture that is as relevant and useful now as it was in the 18th century--and maybe even more so.

A Kantian way of living means using reason to guide your choices so that your life reflects your true nature as a free, rational being. This nature is one we share with others; Kantianism emphasizes the fundamental dignity and equality of each person. It presents an ideal for how we should live together without downplaying the challenges we face in the actual world. Though realistic about human weaknesses, Kant remained optimistic about our capacities and possibilities. He had great faith in the ability of human reason to point us in the direction of moral progress and to get us there. Each of us has the power within us to know and choose the right path--we just have to be willing to make that choice, and to discover how worthwhile life can be in the process.

Additional text

Instead of looking down on us from the heavens of abstraction, Karen Stohr's Kant spends most of his time addressing how we might live more morally in our daily lives. Stohr turns from the major texts to Kant's essays and lectures, finding nuggets of wisdom ranging from ways to overcome self-conceit to how to organize a dinner party. A clear, enjoyable, and engaging introduction to a thinker who too often inspires fear, confusion, and a desire to curl up in a fetal position.

Report

In this accessible and compelling book, Karen Stohr captures the beauty, elegance, and wisdom of Kants system of moral philosophy without sacrificing its complexity. Emphasizing the importance of understanding our all-too-human fallibilities, Stohrs Kant shows us how to engage in honest self-assessment, avoid the temptations of self-deception, and do the hard but necessary work required to become a better person. Carol Hay, author of Think Like a Feminist: The Philosophy Behind the Revolution

Product details

• Authors: Karen Stohr, Karen (Ryan Family Professor of Metaphysics Stohr, Stohr Karen
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.12.2021
• EAN: 9780197537817
• ISBN: 978-0-19-753781-7
• No. of pages: 328
• Series: Guides to the Good Life Series; Guides to the Good Life
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: general, reference works; History of Ideas, PHILOSOPHY / Ethics & Moral Philosophy, PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / General, Philosophy, Ethics & moral philosophy, Ethics and moral philosophy, Philosophical traditions and schools of thought