Kant, Critique and Politics

by Kimberly Hutchings

This is the first book to offer both a systematic reading of Kant and to contextualise his work in the light of the continental tradition. It will be central to political philosophers, students of international relations and feminist theory.

232 pages, Paperback

First published December 7, 1995

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

So it is hard to imagine a book that provides a comprehensive overview of the philosophies of Kant, Habermas, Arendt, Foucault and Lyotard, and then finishes out the text with investigations into Feminism and International Political Theory. But Kimberly Hutchings pulls it off. She provides a lucid description of Kant's critical project, the fundamental paradox of the limits of reason and critique and the impact this paradox has on reason, ethics, judgement and politics. This then sets up her interpretations of Habermas, Arendt, Foucault and Lyotard. In each of the philosophers, she provides a concise description of their project and the debt they owe to Kant, showing that this debt is also the inheritance of the same paradoxes that haunted Kant. This same hermeneutic is applied to her interpretations of international politics and feminisms. The book is that rare text that is both accessible and insightful.