The Aesthetics of Morality: Schiller’s Critique of Kantian Rationalism
The Aesthetics of Morality: Schiller’s Critique of Kantian Rationalism
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道德美学：席勒对康德理性主义的批判
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发表时间：
2010
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通讯作者：
A. Baxley
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作者：
A. Baxley
哲学家们经常提到弗里德里希·席勒（Friedrich Schiller），因为他写过一句著名的警句，针对的是康德对道德动机的解释：
Philosophers often mention Friedrich Schiller as the author of a famous epigram taking aim at Kant’s account of moral motivation:
Gladly I serve my friends, but alas I do it with pleasure.
Hence I am plagued with doubt that I am not a virtuous person.
To this, the answer is given:
Surely, your only resource is to try to despise them entirely,
And then with aversion do what your duty enjoins.
These joking lines capture a natural objection to Kant’s rationalist picture of moral motivation, especially as it appears in the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Schiller himself, however, intended his poem as a caricature of Kant’s view, reserving his considered critique of Kant’s practical philosophy for his extended treatise ‘On Grace and Dignity’. It is in this major work that Schiller begins his debate with Kant about the aesthetic aspect of morality, sets out a systematic account of his own ethics, and argues for an account of character according to which the virtuous person is inclined to do her duty and takes pleasure in moral action. This essay aims to highlight the importance of Schiller’s ‘On Grace and Dignity’, which is a valuable resource in relation to contemporary debates about Kant’s moral psychology. Section 1 outlines the main features of Schiller’s concerns with Kantian rationalism. Section 2 surveys a number of recent critical discussions of Schiller’s interpretation of Kant. Finally, Section 3 concludes with some observations about the historical and broader philosophical significance of ‘On Grace and Dignity’.