It is often difficult to know about one's own era which philosophers in it will be remembered as the most important ones, but I think it is already clear that John Rawls is the greatest moral philosopher of the twentieth century. Allen W. Wood More Quotes by Allen W. Wood More Quotes From Allen W. Wood Descartes recommended that we distrust the senses and rely on the ... use of our intellect. Allen W. Wood intellect distrust use It is sad to witness the persistence in our society of the racism and xenophobia that seems to be a permanent part of our political culture. It is shameful to see politicians exploiting these human weaknesses in order to gain political power. It is most depressing of all to contemplate a future in which politicians who do this will continue to have influence over people's lives. Allen W. Wood persistence xenophobia depressing Popular religion since the time of Kant and Fichte has gone in a direction they tried to prevent and that has been disastrous for the humanity both of believers and of the rest of us. Look at the role of religion in Republican presidential primaries if you need any confirmation of this last statement. Allen W. Wood presidential lasts humanity Kant considers belief in God and immortality to be items of "faith" because he relates faith to the pursuit of ends - in this case, the highest good. Allen W. Wood pursuit immortality belief Kant does not regard freedom as an item of faith because it is too basic to our agency to be related to any end. Allen W. Wood agency ends doe Freedom is an unprovable but unavoidable presupposition, not an article of faith. Allen W. Wood articles Kant was a rational theologian. He did not pretend to be a biblical or revealed theologian. Allen W. Wood rational theologian biblical Kant's aim was to develop a religion within the boundaries of mere reason (that is, reason unaided by special empirical revelation) and then to ask about existing ecclesiastical faith (especially about Christianity, and the Lutheran Christianity of his time and place) how this revealed faith must be interpreted if it is to be reconciled with reason, and even seen as a wider (though morally optional) extension of a religion of reason. Allen W. Wood special christianity reason Fichte would identify all states of our minds with states of our body - perhaps not merely of our brain, but the whole body as an acting organism. Allen W. Wood acting mind brain It seems to me self-evident that it is worthwhile to understand the best thoughts of the past, to appropriate them, to criticize them. Allen W. Wood worthwhile self past Surely the world will be a better place, at least marginally, if people have a better understanding of Kant and Hegel, if Marx's thought its studied and appreciated, if people gain a better understanding of Fichte, whose philosophy is far more important than people realize. Allen W. Wood understanding philosophy people I do not know how much my own work has achieved, and I must not pretend it has done more than it has. Allen W. Wood know-how my-own done In my acquaintance with John Rawls, I found him to be a simple and honest man, who just by chance also happened to be the greatest moral philosopher of the twentieth century. I would like to think that I could emulate at least his modesty - his refusal to exaggerate his perception of himself and his place in the larger scheme of things - even if my work never compares with his in its importance. Allen W. Wood simple men thinking We usually can't know how, and we probably should not even ask, how our lives contribute to a better world. Allen W. Wood know-how should world It would be nice, wouldn't it? if we could get comfortable about the problem of freedom. Kant thinks that we can't. Allen W. Wood nice would-be thinking As with many metaphysical and religious questions, Kant thinks they lie beyond our power to answer them. If you can't stand the frustration involved in accepting this, and insist on finding some more stable position which affords you peace of mind and intellectual self-complacency, then you will find Kant's position "problematic" in the sense that you can't bring yourself to accept it. You may try to kid yourself into accepting either some naturalistic deflationary answer to the problem or some dishonest supernaturalist answer. Allen W. Wood religious kids lying Freedom is a permanent problem for us, both unavoidable and insoluble. Allen W. Wood permanent problem Consequentialist theories pretend that we can set some great big ends (the general happiness, human flourishing), provide ourselves with definite enough conceptions of them to make them the objects of instrumental reasoning, and then obtain enough reliable information about what actions will best promote them that we could regulate our conduct by these considerations alone. Allen W. Wood information enough action In fact people do not know enough about themselves and what is good for them to form a sufficiently definite conception of the general happiness (or whatever the end is) to establish definite rules for its pursuit. Allen W. Wood enough facts people We cannot predict the effects of our actions, especially our collective actions over generations or centuries, to use instrumental reasoning toward these big final ends to tell us what we ought to do. Allen W. Wood generations finals use
