Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Серия I. Богословие, философия (Dec 2020)

"The archetype of humanity acceptable before God". Kant's philosophy of religion and the possibility of a philosophical Christology

  • Andrey Sudakov

DOI
https://doi.org/10.15382/sturI202089.69-87
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 89, no. 89
pp. 69 – 87

Abstract

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This article deals with the meaning and origins of the notion of the “archetype of perfect morality” which in Kant’s critical philosophy of religion represents, according to the philosopher’s own claim, an analogy of the Christian notion of Christ as the incarnate Saviour. Within the critical system, this notion can be traced back to the doctrine of the transcendental ideal of pure reason, which anticipates the basicattributes of the “archetype” as it is described in philosophy of religion. This allows one to reestablish the possible object fi eld of the Kantian ethico-theology which cannot be reduced to the notorious “postulates of practical reason”. In speculative philosophy, the problem of ideal referred to the relation between the idea and the notions, whereas practical philosophy focuses on the topic of realisation of ideas, for which reason the question about the way of existence of the transcendental and practical ideal (in God, in pure reason, “in us ourselves”) consistently entail the refl ection on God’s incarnation. Kant’s refl ection on the character of combination of human and “superhuman” natures in the embodied ideal of sanctity has as its aim such a notion of this combination which would not impede the aims of pure moral religion of reason. However, it is found out that not everything in this refl ection is related to Christianity; the notion of human nature (to which the independence from the power of needs is available), adequate for Kantian anthropology, and the “superhuman nature” (as a qualitative purity of moral will) do not cause moral and pedagogical problems outlined by Kant. The source of difficulties in the perception of the Christian doctrine by the adherents of pure religion of the practical reason exists in other layers of their philosophical Christology.

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