A Commentary on Kant's Critique of Practical Reason

by Lewis White Beck

When this work was first published in 1960, it immediately filled a void in Kantian scholarship. It was the first study entirely devoted to Kant's Critique of Practical Reason and by far the most substantial commentary on it ever written. This landmark in Western philosophical literature remains an indispensable aid to a complete understanding of Kant's philosophy for students and scholars alike.This Critique is the only writing in which Kant weaves his thoughts on practical reason into a unified argument. Lewis White Beck offers a classic examination of this argument and expertly places it in the context of Kant's philosophy and of the moral philosophy of the eighteenth century.

Genres: Philosophy

Paperback

First published December 31, 1960

Reviews

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat helpful, but there are parts where it seems like the interpretation goes off the rails and becomes difficult to reconcile with Kant’s own text. Case in point is Kant’s moral argument for belief in God.

[Feliks · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I had halted reading 1/3 into it--no, I couldn't recommend this to anyone. I didn't emerge from these plodding pages with much benefit. Its not a 'fun' read; not the absorbing learning experience one usually finds from good discussions of Kant. Last year I lucked onto a simple, lucid, transparent explanatory summary of Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason' where the writing style was instantly, immediately, understandable. Not so, with this author and his Kantian analysis. It is dense and meretricious, a thicket of words one must hack one's way through. A shame--this is important material and needs to be crystallized for people to actually use in life.