The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-08-14
DIR. PoRTER's EDITION OF RANTS
ETHICS.

KANT's ETHICS. Critical Exposition. By
Noah Porter, President of Yale College,
S. @. Griggs & Co., Chicago. PIP. 249
Price $1.25.
This is profound and able criticism and
exposition of the ethical theories of Kant.
DIR. Porter occupies high position among
American metaphysical and philosophical
writer's. As the President of Yale College
he has been the Professor of Intellectual and
Moral Philosophy in that institution for a
series of years, and has had large expert
ence as lecturer, teacher and writer on
mental and ethical science.
His great learning and long experience as
teacher of and writer on mental and moral
philosophy qualities him, as few men are
qualified, to give us an exposition and criti-
cism of Rants System of Ethical Philoso-
ply. The method of the writer is both crit
ical and expository.
The work is largely an exposition and crit
icism of Rants whole system of philosophy.
1t is an exposition of the doctrines of the
great German philosopher remarkably clear,
and as criticism it is fine specimen of
philosophical work.
Rants Ethics is based upon, grows out of,
and is necessary to, a completeapresentatio
of his metaphysics. To enable us to under
stand the origin and function of his ethics, it
was necessary for the author to give US a
brief exposition and criticism of his meta
physics as contained in his "Critique of Pure
Reason" This he does briefly but ably.
Rants Metaphysics is system of destructive
philosophy. Out of it has grown Sir William
Hamilton's doctrine of the "Unknowable,"
Mansell's doctrine of the Limitations of
Thought" and Herbert Spencer's "Agnosti-
cism."
This every well informed student of the his
tory of the origin and growth philosoph-
ical knows. 1t is very easy matter to trace
all these systems of destructive skepticism
back to Rants metaphysics, as presented in
his "Critique of Pure Reason" This our
author shows very clearly and conclusively
in his criticism of Rants doctrine of knowl-
edge. To lift humanity out of the hopeless
skepticism into which his metaphysical phil
osophy had plunged his disciples, he wrote
his "Critique of the Practical Reason" This
work, with his Fundamental Principles of
the Metaphysics of Morals" and his work on
the Metaphysics of Morals" in two parts,
1. e., "Rights and Duties" contain his "Sys-
tenn of Ethical Philosophy" In his ethics
he tries to supply to us in a body of practical
truth, that which in his "Critique of Pure
Reason" he showed we could not reach by
any exercise of our reasoning faculties.
From this Coleridge derived his spiritual
philosophy, which We only get imperfect
glimpses of in his writings, but which has
saturated the sermons of the two great
preachers of the age, Robertson and Bushnell
Such has been the influence of Kant on what
we know TO be the Christian philosophy of
the day. would make this notice too long
for US to attempt to give an analysis of this
very stimulating and instructive book; that
would require a review article instead of a
newspaper notice. 1t would state that in this
work DIR. Porter, who is an able writer, is at
his best. Every intelligent layman and cler-
gyman should buy the book, and not only
read, but study it. The volume is a fine
piece of work mechanically, and the pub
fishers deserve praise for presenting to the
public such work and in such good dress.
WILLIAM TUCKER.