Kant on Religious Moral Education

Abstract

While scholars are slowly coming to realize that Kant’s moral philosophy has a distinctive theory of moral education, the import of religion in such education is generally neglected or even denied. This essay argues that Kant’s reflections on religion in parts II and III of Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason interpret religion specifically as one aspect of moral education, namely moral ascetics. After first clearly distinguishing between a cognitive and a conative aspect of moral education, I show how certain historical religious practices serve to provide the conative aspect of moral education. Kant defines this aspect of moral education as practices that render the human agent ‘valiant and cheerful in fulfilling his duties’ (MS, 6: 484). By this it is meant that certain practices can inspire moral interests either by justifying rational hope in living up to a certain standard of moral perfection (Christology) or by endeavouring to unite human beings in a universal, invisible ethical community that inspires cooperation rather than adversity (ecclesiology).

The Change of Heart, Moral Character and Moral Reform

“…Recent commentaries by Pasternack (2014) and Wood (2020) contain helpful discussions of all these topics. For a concise and interesting treatment of religion and moral reform, see Vanden Auweele (2015). While I also cannot discuss the ethical community and its relation to moral reform in detail, there is now an extensive literature on this topic, including e.g.…”

“…Firestone and Jacobs argue that the prototype ‘is a type of divine humanity, which constitutes the telos of our created species’, and that ‘Kant cognizes the prototype as coming down to our species via a transcendental incarnation in order to make his own disposition available to our species for adoption’ (2008: 165). Vanden Auweele argues that the Son of God is meant to play a role in moral education by serving as a sensible example of our moral perfection which ‘can augment the conviction that any human agent can reach such a state of perfection’ (2015: 380). For additional commentary, see Pasternack (2012: 37–40; 2014: 133–41).…”

Character Education in the Pandemic Era: A Religious Ethical Learning Model through Islamic Education

“…These behaviors include kindness, obedience, submission to God, self-discipline, boldness, trust, generosity, respect for one's religious symbols and leaders, obedience to religious instructions, and openness to correction when someone makes a mistake (Saluun & Timin, 2020). Ethical studies are necessary to explore behaviors relevant to human traits (Bertens, 1993;Auweele, 2015). In the modern world, an ethical theory is associated with the issue of goodness and truth (Graham, 2011), andGod's commandments (Copp, 2006).…”