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Sensen Oliver , (ed.), Kant on Moral Autonomy Cambridge : Cambridge University Press , 2013 Pp. 311 ISBN 978-1-107-00486-3 (hbk) £55.00
Reviews
Kant on Moral Autonomy is essential reading for scholars of Kant's moral philosophy. This is so because of a wide range of insights offered by the contributors, not only those immediately concerning autonomy. The volume contains fourteen chapters written by an international set of established Kant scholars. There are few surprises regarding who writes about what and how. The authors do the kind of work for which they are well-regarded, sometimes clarifying or expanding on positions originally developed elsewhere.
The collection honours Onora O'Neill, who has done so much to elucidate Kant's distinctive conception of autonomy. Although many contributors allude to O'Neill's work, few discuss it at length. Karl Ameriks does, engaging with O'Neill throughout his chapter. Paul Guyer situates his discussion in relation to theses for which she has argued. Several contributors, including Thomas E. Hill, Jr., Katrin Flikschuh and J. B. Schneewind, follow O'Neill in contrasting Kant's conception of autonomy with contemporary accounts.
The book is divided into three parts: 'Kant's Conception of Autonomy' (part I, chapters 1-4), 'The History and Influence of Kant's Conception of Autonomy' (part II, chapters 5-9), and 'The Relevance of Kant's Conception of Autonomy for Contemporary Moral Philosophy' (part III, chapters 10-14). All topics mentioned in those titles receive attention - though not equal attention, and not always within the part of the volume one would expect.
Nearly every chapter provides at least a brief account of Kant's conception of autonomy, even if that is not the chapter's focus. Andrews Reath's chapter is perhaps the one most exclusively devoted to developing an account of Kantian autonomy. Enlightening accounts are offered by others, too, notably Guyer, Ameriks and Henry Allison. Oliver Sensen's chapter divides its focus between the two crucial questions of how Kant conceives of autonomy and why it has the significance for him that it does.
Among the chapters that engage primarily with Kant's better known works in ethics, Dieter Schönecker's stands out for its deep, careful analysis of Groundwork III. The collection is enriched by the range of materials beyond the Groundwork and second Critique from which...