Socrates Meets Kant: The Father of Philosophy Meets His Most Influential Modern Child

by Peter Kreeft

Immanuel Kant is one of the greatest philosophers in history. But, as Peter Kreeft notes in this book, Kant is really two philosophers-a philosopher about how we know things (epistemology) and a philosopher of right and wrong (ethics). If he had written only on either topic, he would still be the most important and influential of the modern philosophers.

Genres: Philosophy, Catholic

326 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2009

About the author

Peter Kreeft is an American philosopher and prolific author of over eighty books on Christian theology, philosophy, and apologetics. A convert from Protestantism to Catholicism, his journey was shaped by his study of Church history, Gothic architecture, and Thomistic thought. He earned his BA from Calvin College, an MA and PhD from Fordham University, and pursued further studies at Yale. Since 1965, he has taught philosophy at Boston College and also at The King’s College. Kreeft is known for formulating “Twenty Arguments for the Existence of God” with Ronald K. Tacelli, featured in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics. A strong advocate for unity among Christians, he emphasizes shared belief in Christ over denominational differences.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful examination (or rather cross-examination) of Kantian philosophy by Kreeft's Socrates. Strikes a good balance between appreciating what is good there and challenging certain of his assumptions and arguments. My only complaint is Kreeft's Socrates: Kreeft got the tone for him down perfectly in The Best Things in Life, but in most of the other dialogues the characterization is hit and miss, with the great sage of Plato and Xenophon sometimes coming across like a pettish sophist or an inept stand-up comedian. Plus if you squint he looks like C. S. Lewis in a toga. But the best recommendation I can give this book is that it inspired me to get my unread copy of Critique of Pure Reason down from the shelf, and I am enjoying it thoroughly.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immanuel Kant is an 18th century philosopher that has had a great influence on the philosophers that follow him.

This book (like others in the series) starts off with Socrates and Kant meeting in an afterlife to discuss the philosopher's work. Through a dialogue, Socrates explores the "Copernican revolution" that Kant proposes as well as his "categorical imperative". Socrates/Kreeft asks questions, forces terms to be clearly defined, digs out unstated assumptions and reveals flaws in thinking.

This was an ambitious work, tackling two of Kant's works. The first part explores Critique of Pure Reason, which largely deals with metaphysics and epistemology. The second part focuses on Kant's ethics as described in Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals.

In Critique of Pure Reason, Kant is trying to find a way forward in how we can affirm truth with any degree of certainty. A question which was being answered by two prevalent but opposing view points - that of René Descartes & Rationalism and that of David Hume & Empirical Skepticism. Since the philosophical ideas of these philosophers both influence Kant, and because Kreeft refers back to Socrates' arguments made in dialogue with each of these men, it is a good idea to read Socrates Meets Descartes and Socrates Meets Hume before tackling Kant.

What is Kant's big idea? This idea is called a "Copernican revolution" because it forced us to reconsider epistemology and metaphysics in a dramatic way, just as Copernicus did with our view of the galaxy when he proposed a heliocentric view over a geocentric view? The geocentric view, in pre-Kant philosophy, would be the metaphysical idea that the mind is a passive recipient of information. It also holds that we can know (rationally or empirically) an actual object "as it is" in reality. Kant calls these actual objects that are independent of us: "the things-in-themselves". The heliocentric view, that Kant proposes, is we can't know an object "as it is" in reality. Objects exist in the world independent of us but they are only the input to our active mind. Our mind processes this object, creating an output - the form or structure -that we think of as reality. At least that is my best attempt at summarizing the idea.

your revolutionary idea is that in human knowing the object known is relative to the knowing subject rather than vice versa as everyone used to think.

As Kant and Socrates wrap up that section, Kant admits that "I cannot say what the world is in itself, only how it appears.". To which Socrates replies: "you have just given half your readers reason to suspect that your philosophy is insane". It would be hard to disagree with Socrates here.

Kant is certainly challenging. This is a book that one will read and re-read numerous times in order to grasp the concepts in Kant and the challenges that Socrates brings forward in his questioning.

//work in progress//

[Morris Nelms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent presentation of Kant's thought, though I found Kreeft's (or Socrates') two main objections to Kant unconvincing. Kreeft is an apologist for traditional and Catholic Christianity, and thus some things in Kant rub him the wrong way, and he focuses on them. I like Kant's resolution of the conflict between reason and faith, skepticism and certainty, so I tend to lean the other way. In some ways reading this book reminded me of listening to the intelligent conversations between liberal and conservative thinkers that were the hallmark of William F. Buckley's Firing Line. In some others I was sadly reminded of the differences in nuanced vs. literal thinking. I recommend the book. The only caveat is that this view of Kant is negatively slanted, but Kreeft does his best to give credit to Kant where he feels it is due.

[Ahmed Zriga · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was too Socratic.

[Genady · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a brilliant book. Funny and educational at the same time. I didn’t like the Socrates’ transformation into Christian but besides that, it’s a great book.