Abstract for the Kant in Asia International Conference

at Hong Kong Baptist University

20-23 May 2009

Aaron Bunch, ¡§The Resurrection of the Body as a 'Practical Postulate'¡¨

It is well known that for Kant the freedom of the will, the immortality of the soul, and the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient and morally perfect God are 'postulates' of practical reason: beliefs (or faiths) that do not constitute knowledge but are nonetheless necessary for our pursuit of the highest good (which is the necessary object of a moral will). In addition to these postulates, I argue that Kant's conception of the 'absolute unity' of the rational and animal natures in a person (to which he appeals in his account of duties that concern our own and others' bodies) commits him also to belief in the resurrection of the body after death.

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