Immanuel Kant's

trans. by Theodore M. Greene & Hoyt H. Hudson

The e-text version of this book, originally prepared by Stephen Palmquist, appeared on Internet for the first time in January, 1996, in the Hong Kong Baptist University To browse the text you can either visit the original HKBU-version, or the present modified CUHK-version with an add-on search engine provided by the RIH of the Chinese University of Hong Kong

The text presented here is based on the Greene and Hudson translation, with some minor corrections and, unfortunately, without the italics. The English edition page number is given in square brackets at the point where each printed page begins (except that words hyphenated across a page break appear on only one page). The text is presented here in five segments, with the footnotes appearing at the end of each segment. After each footnote number/symbol, the English page number on which it appears is given in square brackets.

• The two Prefaces (pp.3-13): 1793 and 1794 editions
• Book One (pp.15-49): "Concerning the Indwelling of the Evil Principle with the Good, or, On the Radical Evil in Human Nature"
• Book Two (pp.50-84): "Concerning the Conflict of the Good with the Evil Principle for Sovereignty over Man"
• Book Three (pp.85-138): "The Victory of the Good over the Evil Principle, and the Founding of a Kingdom of God on Earth"
• Book Four (pp.139-190): "Concerning Service and Pseudo-Service under the Sovereignty of the Good Principle, or Concerning Religion and Clericalism"

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition [11]

Book One. Concerning the Indwelling of the Evil Principle with the Good, or, On the Radical Evil in Human Nature [15]

Observation [17]
1. Concerning the Original Predisposition to Good in Human Nature [21]
2. Concerning the Propensity to Evil in Human Nature [23]
3. Man is Evil by Nature [27]
4. Concerning the Origin of Evil in Human Nature [34]

• General Observation [40]

• Section One. Concerning the Legal Claim of the Good Principle to Sovereignty over Man [54]
  1. The Personified Idea of the Good Principle [54]
  2. The Objective Reality of this Idea [55]
  3. Difficulties which Oppose the Reality of this Idea, and their Solution [60]

• Section Two. Concerning the Legal Claim of the Evil Principle to Sovereignty over Man, and the Conflict of the Two Principles with One Another [73]

• General Observation [79]

• Division One. Philosophical Account of the Victory of the Good Principle in the Founding of a Kingdom of God on Earth [87]
  1. Concerning the Ethical State of Nature [87]
  2. Man Ought to Leave his Ethical State of Nature in Order to Become a Member of an Ethical Commonwealth [88]
  3. The Concept of an Ethical Commonwealth is the Concept of a People of God under Ethical Laws [90]
  4. The Idea of a People of God can be Realized (through Human Organization) only in the Form of a Church [91]
  5. The Constitution of every Church Originates always in some Historical (Revealed) Faith which we can Call Ecclesiastical Faith; and this is best Founded on a Holy Scripture [94[
  6. Ecclesiastical Faith has Pure Religious Faith as its Highest Interpreter
  7. The Gradual Transition of Ecclesiastical Faith to the Exclusive Sovereignty of Pure Religious Faith is the Coming of the Kingdom of God [105]

• Division Two. Historical Account of the Gradual Establishment of the Sovereignty of the Good Principle on Earth [115]

• General Observation [129]

• Part One. Concerning the Service of God in Religion in general [142]
  • Section One. The Christian Religion as a Natural Religion [145]
  • Section Two. The Christian Religion as a Learned Religion [151]

• Part Two. Concerning the Pseudo-Service of God in a Statutory Religion [156]
  1. Concerning the Universal Subjective Ground of the Religious Illusion [156]
  2. The Moral Principle of Religion Opposed to the Religious Illusion [158]
  3. Concerning Clericalism as a Government in the Pseudo-Service of the Good Principle [163]
  4. Concerning the Guide of Conscience in Matters of Faith [173]

• General Observation [179]

We also have a page dedicated to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, translated by Norman Kemp Smith.

This indexing/search system is prepared by Tze-wan Kwan and Chong-fuk Lau of the CUHK with Glimpse 3.0. The system is still under construction! Comments and opinions are welcome!
Page set up on: January 28, 1996. Last updated on February 3, 1996

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