"Kant's Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason is one of the great modern examinations of religion's meaning, function and impact on human affairs. In this volume, the first complete English-language commentary on the work, James J. DiCenso explains the historical context in which the book appeared, including the importance of Kant's conflict with state censorship. He shows how the Religion addresses crucial Kantian themes such as the relationship between freedom and morality, the human propensity to evil, the status of historical traditions in relation to ethical principles, and the interface between individual ethics and social institutions. The major arguments are clearly and precisely explained, and the themes are highlighted and located within Kant's mature critical philosophy, especially his ethics. The commentary will be valuable for all who are interested in the continuing relevance of religion for contemporary inquiries into ethics, public institutions and religious traditions"--

"Kant's Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason (hereafter Religion), is one of the great modern examinations of the meaning and function of religion. It stands alongside Spinoza's Theological-Political Treatise and Hume's Natural History of Religion and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion as a key work analyzing religious beliefs and institutions in terms of their impact on human affairs. Much like his predecessors, Kant illustrates how religious systems are deeply intertwined with the formation of cultural values, with psychological desires for meaning and consolation, with legitimizing social and political institutions, and above all with questions of ethics. Because of the multi-disciplinary and historically documented nature of this analysis, Kant's treatment of the philosophy of religion is not confined to the narrow task of proving or disproving specific theological and religious doctrines. It is in fact inseparable from inquiries into the types of attitudes, worldviews, and institutions operative within a given cultural sphere, and so makes an ongoing, seminal contribution to both ethical and political thinking"--