In this ambitious book, philosopher Otfried Höffe provides a sophisticated account of the principle of freedom and its role in the project of modernity. Höffe addresses a set of complex questions concerning the possibility of political justice and equity in the modern world, the destruction of nature, the dissolving of social cohesion, and the deregulation of uncontrollable markets. Through these considerations, he shows how the idea of freedom is central to modernity, and he assesses freedom's influence in a number of cultural dimensions, including the natural, economic and social, artistic and scientific, political, ethical, and personal-metaphysical. Neither rejecting nor defending freedom and modernity, he instead explores both from a Kantian point of view, looking closely at the facets of freedom's role and the fundamental position it has taken at the heart of modern life. Expanding beyond traditional philosophy, Critique of Freedom develops the building blocks of a critical theory of technology, environmental protection, economics, politics, medicine, and education. With a sophisticated yet straightforward style, Höffe draws on a range of disciplines in order to clearly distinguish and appreciate the many meanings of freedom and the indispensable role they play in liberal society.

Critique of Freedom: The Central Problem of Modernity

Politics & Social Sciences

Höffe, Otfried

Philosophy

University of Chicago Press

In Germany, Otfried Höffe has been a leading contributor to debates in moral, legal, political, and social philosophy for close to three decades. Höffe's work (like that of his contemporary, Jürgen Habermas), brings into relief the relevance of these German discussions to their counterparts in English-language circles.
In this book, originally published in Germany in 1990 and expanded since, Höffe proposes an extended and original interpretation of Kant‚ philosophy of law, and social morality. Höffe articulates his reading of Kant in the context of an account of modernity as a "polyphonous project," in which the dominant themes of pluralism and empiricism are countered by the theme of categorically binding moral principles, such as human rights. Paying equal attention to the nuances of Kant's texts and the character of the philosophical issues in their own right, Höffe ends up with a Kantianism that requires, rather than precludes, a moral anthropology and that questions the fashionable juxtaposition of Kant and Aristotle as exemplars of incompatible approaches to ethical and political thought.

Categorical Principles of Law: A Counterpoint to Modernity

Penn State University Press

Ethics & Professional Responsibility

Kant is widely acknowledged for his critique of theoretical reason, his universalistic ethics, and his aesthetics. Scholars, however, often ignore his achievements in the philosophy of law and government. At least four innovations that are still relevant today can be attributed to Kant. He is the first thinker, and to date the only great thinker, to have elevated the concept of peace to the status of a foundational concept of philosophy. Kant links this concept to the political innovation of his time, a republic devoted to human rights. He extends the concept by adding to it the right of nations and cosmopolitan law. Finally, Kant democratizes Plato's notion of philosopher kings with a concept of 'kingly people'. This book examines all aspects of this important, but neglected, body of Kant's writings.

Kant's Cosmopolitan Theory of Law and Peace (Modern European Philosophy)

Cambridge University Press

This volume brings to English readers the finest postwar German-language scholarship on Kant's moral and legal philosophy. Examining Kant's relation to predecessors such as Hutcheson, Wolff, and Baumgarten, it clarifies the central issues in each of Kant's major works in practical philosophy, including The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, The Critique of Practical Reason, and The Metaphysics of Morals. It also examines the relation of Kant's philosophy to politics. Collectively, the essays in this volume provide English readers with a direct view of how leading German philosophers are now regarding Kant's revolutionary practical philosophy, one of the outstanding achievements of German thought.

Kant's Moral and Legal Philosophy (The German Philosophical Tradition)

Political Justice: Foundations for a Critical Philosophy of Law and the State

Otfried Höffe is one of the foremost political philosophers in Europe today. In this major work, already a classic in continental Europe, he re-examines philosophical discourse on justice - from Classical Greece to the present day.  Höffe confronts what he sees as the two major challenges to any theory of justice: the legal, positivist claim that there are no standards of justice external to legal systems; and the anarchist claim that justice demands the rejection and abolition of all legal and state systems.  Höffe sets out to continue the 'philosophical project of modernity', the legitimation of human rights, and their guarantee by the state, while at the same time rehabilitating the classical theory of political justice represented by Plato and Aristotle. He questions the success of the positivists in avoiding extra-legal normative claims, and casts doubt on the plausibility of their criticism of the Natural Law tradition. Most anarchists, he argues, rely on an uncritical assumption that social institutions other than states and legal orders do not coerce.  In Höffe's view, some coercion is unavoidable, and the grounds for its justification must be examined. Principles of justice will be those principles which define fundamental rights, and which must be enforced if rights are to be respected.

Polity Pr

Polity

In this book, Hoffe gives a clear, understandable description of Kant's philosophical development and influence, and he sets forth Kant's main ideas from the Critique of Pure Reason and the ethics to the philosophy of law, history, religion, and art. In his critical treatment, Hoffe shows why Kant's philosophy continues to be relevant and challenging to us today.

Immanuel Kant (Suny Series in Ethical Theory)

Biographies & Memoirs

State Univ of New York Pr

“This book is an excellent introduction to Kant, with lots of details that make it of interest and value even to specialists. It is written to answer a real need in the current literature, and it succeeds admirably.” — Karl Ameriks, University of Notre Dame In this book, Hoffe gives a clear, understandable description of Kant's philosophical development and influence, and he sets forth Kant's main ideas from the Critique of Pure Reason and the ethics to the philosophy of law, history, religion, and art. In his critical treatment, Hoffe shows why Kant's philosophy continues to be relevant and challenging to us today. "The book gives a very clear and complete overview of the essential elements of Kant's philosophy, as well as an account of his life and of his effects on future thought." -- Thomas Pogge, Columbia University

Immanuel Kant (Ethical Theory (Dis))

State University of New York Press

Can one be happy and free, and nonetheless be moral? This question occurs at the core of daily life and is, as well, a question as old as philosophy itself. In Can Virtue Make Us Happy? The Art of Living and Morality, Otfried Höffe, one of Europe’s most well-known philosophers, offers a far-reaching and foundational work in philosophical ethics.As long as one understands "happiness" purely as a feeling of subjective well-being, Höffe argues, there is at best only an accidental unity between it and morality. However, if one means by "happiness" the quality of doing well in the sense of one’s own successful existence, then one must include actions that undoubtedly have a moral character and are named virtues. He uses clear and general language to present what one understands by "happiness" and "freedom" while illuminating the blind alleys in the history of philosophy as well as the difficulties raised by the issues themselves. What has priority: good ends or right action? Is freedom always anarchy? Is it possible to think of a freedom enhanced by morality? Is "morality" only a pretty word for stupidity? Does humanity have a good or a bad character? Is there such a thing as evil? Höffe offers us enlightened philosophical reflection and foundational orientation but no simple formulas; this is precisely what is at stake because anyone who wishes to live a self-determined life rejects any and all formulas.

Can Virtue Make Us Happy?: The Art of Living and Morality

Northwestern University Press

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Books by Höffe, Otfried

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Höffe, Otfried. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Critique of Freedom: The Central Problem of Modernity

Categorical Principles of Law: A Counterpoint to Modernity

Categorical Principles of Law: A Counterpoint to Modernity

Kant's Cosmopolitan Theory of Law and Peace (Modern European Philosophy)

Kant's Moral and Legal Philosophy (The German Philosophical Tradition)

Political Justice: Foundations for a Critical Philosophy of Law and the State

Political Justice: Foundations for a Critical Philosophy of Law and the State

Immanuel Kant (Suny Series in Ethical Theory)

Immanuel Kant (Ethical Theory (Dis))

Can Virtue Make Us Happy?: The Art of Living and Morality