Kant's Pragmatic Anthropology, by Holly L. Wilson

This book offers the first account in English of the origin, meaning, and critical significance of Immanuel Kant’s Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View. Kant’s book is not empirical psychology, but rather a type of cosmopolitan philosophy meant to teach students to think for themselves and thus be free to actualize their full human destiny. Author Holly L. Wilson innovatively explores how the “philosophical anthropology” exhibited in Kant’s Anthropology challenges contemporary theories of human nature, including behaviorism and evolutionary theory. She also details how Kant based his work on the critically grounded faculty of teleological judgment and how this type of philosophy of experience is consistent with Kant’s overall critical theory. The portrait of Kant that emerges is one of a humane teacher who cared about his students and their acquisition of prudence and wisdom.

first chapter available here.

Table Of Contents

Preface Key to References, Sources, Abbreviations, and Translations Table of the Moral and Natural Destinies of Human Beings Introduction 1. The Rise and Origin of Kant’s Lectures on Anthropology The Physical Geography Lectures and the Rise of the Anthropology Lectures The Debate Concerning the Origin of Kant’s Anthropology Lectures Did Kant Intend His Anthropology Lectures be Empirical Psychology? 2. The Character and Content of the Anthropology The Meaning of Pragmatic Anthropology Teleological Clues in the Characteristic of Kant’s Anthropology 3. Kant’s Theory of Human Nature 4. Kant’s Theory of Human Nature as Natural Predispositions The Predisposition to Animality Evolutionary Theory and Animality The Technical Predisposition The Pragmatic Predisposition to Humanity The Moral Predisposition Education and the Predispositions Kant’s Theory of Education and Behaviorism 5. The Critical Foundations of the Anthropology Teleology as a Research Program The Critical Faculty of Teleological Judgment Sensibility Habits Imagination Pleasure and Displeasure Taste Affects Passions Nature Does Nothing in Vain 6. Kant’s Pragmatic Anthropology as Popular Philosophy Is Popular Philosophy a Noble Endeavor