more from this thinker | more from this text
Full Idea
Kant speaks of God not as something known or proved to exist by virtue of rational argument, but as a postulate of moral reflection (that is, of 'practical reason').
Gist of Idea
God is not proved by reason, but is a postulate of moral thinking
Source
report of Immanuel Kant (Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals [1785]) by Brian Davies - Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion 9 'Morality'
Book Ref
Davies,Brian: 'An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion' [OUP 1993], p.175
A Reaction
Presumably it is a necessary postulate, which makes this a transcendental argument, surely?
| 20714 | God is not proved by reason, but is a postulate of moral thinking [Kant, by Davies,B] |
| 1453 | We have to postulate something outside nature which makes happiness coincide with morality [Kant] |
| 1455 | Belief in justice requires belief in a place for justice (heaven), a time (eternity), and a cause (God) [Kant, by PG] |
| 1458 | Conduct is only reasonable or unreasonable if the world is governed by reason [Rashdall] |
| 1459 | Absolute moral ideals can't exist in human minds or material things, so their acceptance implies a greater Mind [Rashdall, by PG] |
| 20713 | God must be fit for worship, but worship abandons morally autonomy, but there is no God [Rachels, by Davies,B] |