Dennis Vanden Auweele is postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Philosophy of KU Leuven.

In this book, Dennis Vanden Auweele explores the tension between pessimism and optimism in Kant’s ethics and philosophy of religion. Vanden Auweele’s project is ambitious and it is attuned to a perspective on the world that many post-Kantian philosophers shared and traced back to Kant’s works. The book demonstrates good familiarity with the relevant secondary literature in English, German, and French. It also carefully and patiently reconstructs many of Kant’s arguments in the works mentioned earlier. Students will find it a helpful guide to Kant’s ethics and philosophy of religion.

• Chapter 1: Pessimism, Theodicy and The Protestant FactorChapter 2: Grounding Morality in Duty and AutonomyChapter 3: Motivating Morality by RespectChapter 4: Natural (In)Aptitude for MoralityInterlude: The Problem of Moral MotivationChapter 5: Religious Assistance through Moral EducationChapter 6: Kantian Christianity, Sincerity and PessimismConclusion: Where does a Kantian pessimism lead?

Dennis Vanden Auweele is postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Philosophy of KU Leuven.

In this book, Dennis Vanden Auweele explores the tension between pessimism and optimism in Kant’s ethics and philosophy of religion. Vanden Auweele’s project is ambitious and it is attuned to a perspective on the world that many post-Kantian philosophers shared and traced back to Kant’s works. The book demonstrates good familiarity with the relevant secondary literature in English, German, and French. It also carefully and patiently reconstructs many of Kant’s arguments in the works mentioned earlier. Students will find it a helpful guide to Kant’s ethics and philosophy of religion.

• Chapter 1: Pessimism, Theodicy and The Protestant FactorChapter 2: Grounding Morality in Duty and AutonomyChapter 3: Motivating Morality by RespectChapter 4: Natural (In)Aptitude for MoralityInterlude: The Problem of Moral MotivationChapter 5: Religious Assistance through Moral EducationChapter 6: Kantian Christianity, Sincerity and PessimismConclusion: Where does a Kantian pessimism lead?

Dennis Vanden Auweele is postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Philosophy of KU Leuven.

In this book, Dennis Vanden Auweele explores the tension between pessimism and optimism in Kant’s ethics and philosophy of religion. Vanden Auweele’s project is ambitious and it is attuned to a perspective on the world that many post-Kantian philosophers shared and traced back to Kant’s works. The book demonstrates good familiarity with the relevant secondary literature in English, German, and French. It also carefully and patiently reconstructs many of Kant’s arguments in the works mentioned earlier. Students will find it a helpful guide to Kant’s ethics and philosophy of religion.

• Chapter 1: Pessimism, Theodicy and The Protestant FactorChapter 2: Grounding Morality in Duty and AutonomyChapter 3: Motivating Morality by RespectChapter 4: Natural (In)Aptitude for MoralityInterlude: The Problem of Moral MotivationChapter 5: Religious Assistance through Moral EducationChapter 6: Kantian Christianity, Sincerity and PessimismConclusion: Where does a Kantian pessimism lead?