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A Nietzschean critique of Kant's highest good
Abstract
The concept of the highest good is important to Kant because it serves to connect his rationalist ethics to religion. However, this concept entails a paradoxical treatment of the concept of happiness which some commentators believe strains Kant's rationalism. After discussing and assessing previous approaches to this problem in Kant's ethics, I develop a different line of argument against it. I draw upon Nietzsche's theory of valuation to demonstrate how Kant's treatment of reward and punishment, and, hence, of happiness, diverges from his rational principles. Such a line seems to prove more decisive than previous efforts, as I furthermore argue. This Nietzschean approach also suggests a novel perspective on the relation between Kant and Nietzsche.
Subject Area
Philosophy|Biographies
Recommended Citation
Schneier, Donald M, "A Nietzschean critique of Kant's highest good" (1988). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI8906331.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI8906331