Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone

“Of the many attempts to interpret Christianity solely in ethical terms, Kant’s effort seems to me to be the most profound and illuminating. His “Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone “illuminates primarily the great philosopher’s understanding of man’s moral life, but also casts light, indirectly and directly, on some of the fundamental beliefs of Christian religion. The book is indispensable to students of ethics, important for theologians, and significant for all who are concerned about the human condition.”–H. Richard Niebuhr”One of the most interesting and most human of Kant’s works. Although Kant speaks in the language of the Eighteenth Century, he is wrestling with problems which force themselves on us today–unless we dismiss all religion as pathological or swallow it blindly at the behest of some external authority.“–H.J. Paton”One does not have to agree with Kant’s conclusions–and I do not–in order to acknowledge this as a great work in the history of philosophical theology. It is the product of Kant’s mature years, an effort to connect his religious thought with the rest of his epoch-making philosophy as presented in his three “Critiques.”“–Morton White

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was born in Königsberg, Prussia, where he remained his entire life. His other works include Critique of Pure Reason and Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone.