Kant and the Meaning of Religion

Godlove... does a fine job demonstrating how Kant's critical philosophy can be used in the ombudsman's role.

This bold and carefully-argued work takes issue with Nietzsche's claim that Kant, even in the first Critique, displays himself as a 'cunning Christian.' Godlove convincingly refutes Nietzsche by demonstrating that the key theories defended in the first Critique, especially the distinction between appearance and the thing in itself, are not concessions to Christianity. Rather, Kant posed the problem that called into being the philosophy of religion as a modern discipline.

Kant and the Meaning of Religion aims to show how Kant's philosophy serves as a valuable resource for navigating challenging methodological issues in the field of religious studies. Godlove's aim is not to commend or support Kant's own philosophy of religion but to draw from its epistemology in ways that advance the discussion of key themes in the academic study of religion. This requires the reinterpretation or even rehabilitation of the Kantian themes in question, resulting in fresh perspectives on Kant as well as on the field of religious studies. Godlove's book is quite distinctive for the way it draws on Kant to address religious issues with virtually no appeal to the more familiar references to the ethical element in his philosophy of religion. Moreover, the author announces early on that the Kant of this volume "has no substantive connection with Christianity," ensuring that his project should have wide application across the field of religious studies and should not be viewed as relevant only to the study of religion in the West. Nor should the volume be seen as one more in a series of works concerning the relative compatibility between Kant's religious thought and the biblical outlook. Consequently, one gets the sense of something genuinely fresh and sophisticated in the way in which Kant's thought is invoked here. In short, the book is provocative, constructive, and very welcome. I think it has tremendous long-term value and should provoke considerable debate. It reflects not simply the competent efforts of a mature scholar, but the assured work of a seasoned thinker who has a creative and bold suggestion to make about important matters. In suggesting an unexpected but potentially very fruitful way in which Kant's epistemology can promote the entire field of the academic study of religion, it is in fact an intellectual head-turner.

A closely argued and richly detailed reading of Kant's epistemology.... As Godlove's book masterfully illustrates, scholars can benefit greatly from treating religious ideas—whether Kant's or those of other thinkers—not only as objects of study, but also as methodological resources for their own work.

[Kant and the Meaning of Religion] offers interesting insights into the value of Kant's work for reflecting on religion, and provides an important antidote to anti-philosophical trends in current theorizing about religion

This is a distinctive and original contribution to the current interest in Kant's relevance for philosophy of religion. Rather than focusing on Kant's concept of God and philosophical theology, Godlove shows how his epistemology and reflection on the role of concepts in experience can illumine topics in the study of religion. His reading of Kant is informed by issues raised by Nietzsche, Geuss, Brandom, and McDowell, among others, and by recent theorists of religion. I recommend it highly.

An ambitious and engaging book that promises to unsettle and provoke serious reflection on the way philosophers of religion do their philosophizing.

Brilliant and compelling… This book can only be called a stunning accomplishment. One could not ask for a more rich or rewarding study, the mature reflections of a seasoned scholar who is also a philosopher… Do not miss it.