Kant's Empirical Account of Moral Motivation
FAIN: FT-51063-03
Patrick Frierson
Whitman College (Walla Walla, WA 99362-2067)
I plan to offer a much-needed explanation of Kant’s empirical account of motivation. Recent accounts of Kant on motivation focus on moral motivation, and Kant’s moral theory, including its focus on freedom, is used to clarify his account of motivation. My approach follows Kant in separating moral theory from empirical psychology. I will first investigate Kant’s theory of motivation, laid out in his anthropology and empirical psychology. Only then will I look at issues such as moral motivation. Developing this general theory provides a basis for comparing Kant’s psychology with the psychologies of others (such as Hume or Nietzsche). Both friends and critics of Kant will benefit by having an accurate picture of Kant’s views on motivation.