A Study of the Moral Philosophy of Kant

Kant's moral philosophy ought to be discussed with reference to his philosophy of history. It has often been said that his moral philosophy is too formal and rigoristic, but such a criticism is due to the misunderstanding of his formalism in respect to the moral law. The moral law in its negative aspect presents to us a 'form of universality', but it also has the positive character of 'intelligible causality' as its positive one. Of course, the latter cannot be made intuitive for us human beings, but the 'law of nature', as a symbolical Fypus of it, gives us a clue to conjecture its intelligible character. Thus we may be able to perceive that it is a harmonious principle, grounded on a rational moral faith, having as its material content a rich conception of the kingdom of ends. The kingdom of ends as an idea is generally supposed to be a uptopia, which is a product of poetic imagination. But the moral law does not allow it to be an object of contemplation, but commands us to be true members of it, so that it may become an objectively real kingdom. In the efforts we make in this direction, I think, the material human nature, once rejected as a motive of moral behavior, can be restored to be such a motive in harmony with its perfectibility. What is then the objectively realized kingdom of ends? I think it is a cosmopolitan society, which not really is nor was, but ought to be realized in the future. Kant's rational moral faith tries to realize the kingdom of ends, and accordingly postulates the progress of human society in history