Kant and Theodicy: A Search for an Answer to the Problem of Evil

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In Kant and Theodicy: A Search for an Answer to the Problem of Evil, George Huxford proves that Kant's engagement with theodicy was career-long and not confined to his short treatise of 1791, On the Failure of All Attempted Philosophical Theodicies, which dealt explicitly with the subject. Huxford treats Kant's developing thought on theodicy in three periods, each with its own special character: pre-Critical (exploration), early-Critical (transition), and late-Critical (conclusion). Illustrating the advantage of approaching Kant through this innovative route, Huxford argues that Kant's stance developed through his career, from an essentially Leibnizian starting point to his own unique authentic theodicy; Kant rejected so-called philosophical theodicies based on theoretical/speculative reason but advanced authentic theodicy grounded in practical reason, finding a middle ground between philosophical theodicy and fideism, both of which he rejected; Kant's work in natural science and his Critical epistemology served to constrain his theodicy; and Metaphysical Evil conceived as limitation and Kant's Radical Evil perform the same function, namely providing the ground for the possibility of moral evil in the world. nevertheless, Huxford concludes that Kant's authentic theodicy fails because it fails to meet his own definition of a theodicy.

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"From its examination of Kants pre-Critical views to the 1791 distinction between doctrinal and authentic theodicy, Kant and Theodicy does an excellent job documenting salient passages, exploring the secondary literature, and evaluating how Kants views on theodicy interact with the major elements of his theoretical and practical philosophy. This is a must-read for specialists in Kants philosophy of religion, and will be interest to philosophers and theologians alike working on the problem of evil. "--Lawrence Pasternack, Oklahoma State University -- Lawrence Pasternack, Oklahoma State University

Author Bio

George Huxford received his PhD from Kings College in London.