Date of Award
4-2003
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Philosophy
First Advisor
Dr. Michael S. Pritchard
Second Advisor
Dr. Joseph Ellin
Third Advisor
Dr. Quentin Smith
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Campus Only
Abstract
The paper presents John Hare's notion that Kant accepted a view of autonomy that includes submission to the divine will of God. This view is contrasted with more traditional secular interpretations which are represented by Allen Wood's communitarian view and J.B. Schneewind's constitutive approach. The discussion argues that Hare's theist claim that his interpretation of the connection between autonomy and religion in Kant is qualitatively better than the so-called secular views of Kant is not supported. Hare's criticisms of Wood and Schneewind do not bear up under critical evaluation. I conclude that rather than supporting a theist approach such as Hare's, the most plausible view of Kant on these issues appears to be a middle ground between Wood and Schneewind. Kant himself may have even suggested such a view toward the end of his career.
Recommended Citation
McKinley, Michael Earl, "Critique of John Hare's Notion of the Relation of Autonomy to Religion in Kant" (2003). Masters Theses. 3558.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3558