Kant on the Highest Good

Abstract

Kant’s accounts of the Highest Good and the moral argument for God and immortality are central features of his philosophy. But both involve lingering puzzles. This chapter first explores what the Highest Good is for Kant and the role it plays in a complete account of ethical life. It then focuses on whether the Highest Good involves individuals only, or whether it also connects with Kant’s doctrines about the moral progress of the species. In conclusion, it looks into three ways of articulating the moral argument for God and immorality that take our commitment to the Highest Good as their point of departure.