Reason and the Good in Leibniz, Kant and Hegel

Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-1-009-44259-6
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 304 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 594 g

Hegel's claim that his philosophy provides a theodicy tends to be dismissed as an outdated or implausible feature of his thought. Yet through a novel retelling of the development from Leibniz to Kant to Hegel, this book places that claim in a new light, showing its centrality both to Hegel's transformations of such fundamental notions as freedom and goodness, and to his understanding of the task of philosophy as such. The account begins with Leibniz's distinctively modern project of proving that the world is a hospitable home for rational subjects, before turning to Kant's critical appropriation of Leibniz's programme in light of his radical reconfiguration of freedom as autonomy. Hegel's attempt to liberate Kant's philosophy from its residual rationalist and theological commitments then gives birth to his programme of reconciling us with the world, but only by turning the prior tradition of theodicy on its head.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Englander, Alex

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction; Part I. Leibnizian Theodicy: 1. Theodicies; 2. The primacy of reason; 3. Reason in the world; Part II. Kantian Theodicy: 4. From optimism to autonomy; 5. The Kantian puzzle: the ideal of the Christians; 6. The Kantian Solution: the true apology for Leibniz; 7. The Alien and the Alienated Will; Part III. Hegelian Theodicy: 8. An impervious realm of darkness and a path of despair; 9. The emergence of the will: progressions and regressions; 10. Paths not taken; the word of reconciliation: 11. The word of reconciliation; Conclusion – Hegelian Theodicy? Reconciliation or Justification?; Citations and Abbreviations; Bibliography.

Über Autor(innen)

Englander, Alex
Alex Englander is a Research Associate at Institute for Philosophy, University of Bonn. He has published a number of essays in journals including Hegel Bulletin and the European Journal of Philosophy.