The Reality of the Ideal

Immanuel Kant is perhaps most famous in ethics for his idea of the moral law, or "categorical imperative." But the moral law is just part of the story. As we are moved by the moral law, so too are we moved to think of a possible world in which this law has complete control. The resulting image of an ideal world, Kant calls, the "highest good." But why is this ideal important for everyday life? In The Reality of the Ideal, Englert breaks new ground by arguing that its primary importance is to aid us in contemplation and the construction of a worldview.