New Essays on the History of Autonomy: A Collection Honoring J. B. Schneewind

Kantian autonomy is often thought to be independent of time and place, but J. B. Schneewind in his landmark study, The Invention of Autonomy, has shown that there is much to be learned by setting Kant’s moral philosophy in the context of the history of modern moral philosophy. The distinguished authors in the collection continue Schneewind’s project by relating Kant’s work to the historical context of his predecessors and to the empirical context of human agency. This will be a valuable resource for professionals and advanced students in philosophy, the history of ideas, and the history of political thought.

• A companion volume to The Invention of Autonomy, one of the most important books published in recent years • Some high-profile contributors (especially Richard Rorty and Onora O’Neill) • One of the most successful subject-areas on the Philosophy list

Part I. Autonomy in Context: 1. Justus Lipsius and the revival of stoicism in late sixteenth-century Europe John M. Cooper; 2. Affective perfectionism: community with God without common measure Jennifer A. Herdt; 3. Autonomy and the invention of theodicy Mark Larrimore; 4. Protestant natural law theory: a general interpretation Knud Haakonssen; 5. Autonomy in modern natural law Stephen Darwall; Part II. Autonomy in Practice: 6. Pythagoras enlightened: Kant on the effect of moral philosophy Larry Krasnoff; 7. What is disorientation in thinking? Natalie Brender; 8. Autonomy, plurality and public reason Onora O’Neill; 9. Trapped between Dewey and Kant: the current situation of moral philosophy Richard Rorty.

‘The distinguished authors of New Essays on the History of Autonomy supplement Schneewind’s pathbreaking work with a broad range of specific analyses that do justice to the ambitious general goals of his book while significantly advancing the philosophical discussion of central ethical issues.’

– Karl Ameriks, University of Notre Dame