Kant’s Critical Religion: Volume Two of Kant’s System of Perspectives

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Applying the new perspectival method of interpreting Kant he expounded in earlier works, Palmquist examine a broad range of Kant's philosophical writings to present a fresh view of his thought on theology, religion, and religious experience. He defends a number of innovative theses, including how: religious and theological themes form the backbone of Kant’s mature philosophical System, to the extent that his philosophy can be called “theocentric”; Kant’s treatment of organized religion provides the basis for a living and richly symbolic form of religious practice that is thoroughly compatible with the core teachings of Christianity; Kant’s Copernican Perspective on metaphysics arose in part out of and is directly parallel to his response to Swedenborg’s mystical “dreams”; and the claimsof mystics and others to have “experiences of God” are philosophically justifiable provided they are viewed solely from the “judicial” standpoint . Through its detailed examination of Kant’s writings and the volumous secondary literature, this book effects a fundamental paradigm shift in Kant-studies. No longer can Kant be portrayed as a cynical destroyer of religion in general and Christianity in particular; instead, he can now take his rightful place as a sympathetic reformer, rivalling even Luther in his influence on contemporary Christian thought and practice—both Protestant and Catholic.