A Monumental Figure of Western Thought Wrestles with the Question of God
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is one of the most influential philosophers in
the history of Western philosophy. His contributions have had a profound
impact on almost every philosophical movement that followed him.
Kant's teachings on religion were unorthodox in that they were based on
rationality rather than revelation. Though logically proving God's
existence might be impossible, it is morally reasonable to "act as if
there be a God." His strictly rational approach was considered so
scandalous that the King of Prussia forbid him to teach or write further
on religious subjects, which Kant obeyed until the king's death.
A work of major importance in the history of Western religious thought,
Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone represents a great
philosopher's attempt to spell out the form and content of a type of
religion grounded in moral reason and meeting the needs of an ethical
life.