Introduction

Abstract

This volume assembles a distinguished cast of international scholars to discuss the connection between emotion and value in Kant’s philosophy, from his ethics to his philosophy of mind, aesthetics, religion and politics.¹ It is inspired by the movement that began, at least in the Anglo-American world, with the Kantian ‘fore-mothers’ whose pioneer work on the role of emotions in Kant’s ethics is exemplified by the pieces reprinted in this volume by Marcia Baron, Christine Korsgaard and Nancy Sherman. In combining these reprints with ten new essays by a mixture of leading and up-and-coming Kant scholars and Kantian philosophers, this volume offers the first comprehensive assessment of Kant’s account of the emotions and their connection to value. By focusing on the numerous aspects of Kant’s approach to the nature of the emotions and their various roles, it goes well beyond standard discussions of the feeling of respect and covers a wide range of topics in Kant’s philosophy. Some essays are primarily exegetical, others focus on the Kantian contribution to contemporary debates in the philosophy of emotions and value; some mix interpretation and critical discussion, others focus on the continuing relevance of Kant’s work to philosophical debates. What they all have in common is an aim to show that, contrary to what is usually thought, Kant does have an important and philosophically rich account of the emotions.