Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals (Rethinking the Western Tradition) - Softcover

"Those seeking a readable, readily available, and reliably literal translation of Kant's brief but influential work cannot do better than this new edition. Allen Wood's translation is exemplary in its fidelity to the nuances of Kant's language, down to the typographical emphases that English editions often ignore. . . . This is the translation I would want my own students to have in hand in tackling a work that is more often talked about than read with care. The translation should appeal to a very broad readership."--Susan Shell, Claremont Review of Books

Immanuel Kant's Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals is one of the most important texts in the history of ethics. In it Kant searches for the supreme principle of morality and argues for a conception of the moral life that has made this work a continuing source of controversy and an object of reinterpretation for over two centuries. This new edition of Kant's work provides a fresh translation that is uniquely faithful to the German original and more fully annotated than any previous translation. There are also four essays by well-known scholars that discuss Kant's views and the philosophical issues raised by the Groundwork. J.B. Schneewind defends the continuing interest in Kantian ethics by examining its historical relation both to the ethical thought that preceded it and to its influence on the ethical theories that came after it; Marcia Baron sheds light on Kant's famous views about moral motivation; and Shelly Kagan and Allen W. Wood advocate contrasting interpretations of Kantian ethics and its practical implications.