Kant’s Critique of Rational Theology and His Project of Moral Religion

Dear Colleagues,

Immanuel Kant is unquestionably one of the most distinguished philosophers in history. However, his philosophy of religion has received significantly less recognition compared to his theoretical and moral works, despite a growing acknowledgment of its significance in recent years. Kant’s philosophy of religion can be broadly divided into two main parts: the first is his critique of traditional rational theology or metaphysical theism, primarily expounded in the “Transcendental Dialectic” of the Critique of Pure Reason; the second is his project to develop a moral religion, which is grounded in his moral argument for the existence of God and is thoroughly explored in Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason. While the former is generally regarded as successful, it has encountered increasing criticism in recent decades. Conversely, the latter, which was initially less emphasized, has recently gained more attention and support, sparking significant scholarly debate.

In the first Critique, Kant argues that the human faculty of cognition is legitimately confined to objects of possible experience, which makes knowledge of God, considered a transcendental idea, unattainable and any attempts to prove God’s existence futile. Kant’s critique of the ontological proof is particularly significant; he asserts that this proof serves as an implicit foundation for both the cosmological and physico-theological proofs and underpins all forms of rational theology. Consequently, rejecting the ontological proof fundamentally denies the possibility of metaphysical theism. In his critique, Kant also introduces the well-known thesis that “existence is not a real predicate”, which Martin Heidegger regards as striking at the real nerve of the ontological proof. Despite this, in recent decades, scholars such as Charles Hartshorne, Norman Malcolm, John Findlay, and Alvin Plantinga have sought to defend the ontological proof and respond to Kant’s critique, provoking a wide range of scholarly discussion and controversy.

In his three Critiques, particularly the Critique of Practical Reason, Kant offers a moral argument for the existence of God, claiming that while morality on its own behalf in no way needs religion, belief in God is essential for the possibility of the highest good, as it is only through God that virtue and happiness can be combined causally and proportionally. This argument has been extensively criticized from the outset, primarily because incorporating happiness into the highest good, regarded as an object of practical reason, is seen as inconsistent with Kant’s deontological moral principles. Moreover, Kant’s project in Religion has also been heavily criticized for seemingly presenting his moral religion as a secular version of Christianity. This has led some critics to accuse him of contradicting his critical philosophy’s anti-religious stance and suspecting insincerity, possibly due to apprehension about the Prussian authorities, while others interpret it as an exposure of his pietistic ideas. Nevertheless, following the publication of Allen W. Wood’s Kant’s Moral Religion (1970) and Michel Despland’s Kant on History and Religion (1973), there has been a noticeable shift in scholarly focus, with increasing research and re-evaluation of Kant’s project from various perspectives.

In the “Editor’s Introduction” to Kant and the New Philosophy of Religion (2006), Chris L. Firestone and Stephen Palmquist outline two primary interpretations of Kant’s philosophy of religion: the traditional or negative interpretation and the affirmative interpretation. Traditional interpreters either stress Kant’s atheistic or skeptical tendencies in his philosophy of religion or consider it as merely supplementary to his moral philosophy. They generally agree that Kant’s contributions in this area are mainly negative and that his project of moral religion is doomed to failure. Conversely, affirmative interpreters maintain that Kant’s philosophy as a whole can provide significant support for theology and religious faith. Since the 1990s, scholars such as Ronald M. Green, John E. Hare, Elizabeth Galbraith, Charles Kielkopf, Palmquist, and others have explored and developed the affirmative aspects of Kant’s philosophy of religion from diverse perspectives, achieving significant academic results. It is encouraging to observe that this trend persists, with an increasing number of young scholars entering the field.

All of this indicates that Kant’s philosophy of religion remains lively and holds comparable significance to other aspects of his philosophical contributions, justifying further scholarly investigation. Thus, we invite academics in philosophy and religious studies to contribute original research articles on themes, including (but not limited to) the following:

• Kant’s critique of the ontological proof;
• Kant’s thesis on existence;
• Kant on the relationship between knowledge and belief;
• Kant’s moral argument for God;
• The role of God in Kant’s philosophy;
• Kant’s theory of radical evil;
• The teleological elements in Kant’s doctrine of religion;
• Kant on the historicity of religion.

Dr. Kezheng Li
Guest Editor

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• Kant
• rational theology
• moral religion
• moral argument
• radical evil