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General Editors’ Preface

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 December 2020

Edited and translated by
Translated by
Frederick Rauscher
Affiliation:
Michigan State University
Kenneth R. Westphal
Affiliation:
Boğaziçi Üniversitesi, Istanbul
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Summary

Within a few years of the publication of his Critique of Pure Reason in 1781, Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) was recognized by his contemporaries as one of the seminal philosophers of modern times – indeed as one of the great philosophers of all time. This renown soon spread beyond German-speaking lands, and translations of Kant's work into English were published even before 1800. Since then, interpretations of Kant's views have come and gone and loyalty to his positions has waxed and waned, but his importance has not diminished. Generations of scholars have devoted their efforts to producing reliable translations of Kant into English as well as into other languages.

There are four main reasons for the present edition of Kant's writings:

  • 1. Completeness. Although most of the works published in Kant's lifetime have been translated before, the most important ones more than once, only fragments of Kant's many important unpublished works have ever been translated. These include the Opus postumum, Kant's unfinished magnum opus on the transition from philosophy to physics; transcriptions of his classroom lectures; his correspondence; and his marginalia and other notes. One aim of this edition is to make a comprehensive sampling of these materials available in English for the first time.

  • 2. Availability. Many English translations of Kant's works, especially those that have not individually played a large role in the subsequent development of philosophy, have long been inaccessible or out of print. Many of them, however, are crucial for the understanding of Kant's philosophical development, and the absence of some from English-language bibliographies may be responsible for erroneous or blinkered traditional interpretations of his doctrines by English-speaking philosophers.

  • 3. Organization. Another aim of the present edition is to make all Kant's published work, both major and minor, available in comprehensive volumes organized both chronologically and topically so as to facilitate the serious study of his philosophy by Englishspeaking readers.

  • 4. Consistency of translation. Although many of Kant's major works have been translated by the most distinguished scholars of their day, some of these translations are now dated, and there is considerable terminological disparity among them.

Type
Chapter
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2016

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  • General Editors’ Preface
  • Edited and translated by Frederick Rauscher, Michigan State University
  • Translated by Kenneth R. Westphal, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi, Istanbul
  • Book: Kant: Lectures and Drafts on Political Philosophy
  • Online publication: 10 December 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139046237.001
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  • General Editors’ Preface
  • Edited and translated by Frederick Rauscher, Michigan State University
  • Translated by Kenneth R. Westphal, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi, Istanbul
  • Book: Kant: Lectures and Drafts on Political Philosophy
  • Online publication: 10 December 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139046237.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • General Editors’ Preface
  • Edited and translated by Frederick Rauscher, Michigan State University
  • Translated by Kenneth R. Westphal, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi, Istanbul
  • Book: Kant: Lectures and Drafts on Political Philosophy
  • Online publication: 10 December 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139046237.001
Available formats
×