Kantian Reason and Hegelian Spirit - by Gary Dorrien (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Winner: 2012 The American Publishers Award for Professional and Scholarly Excellence in Theology and Religious Studies, PROSE Award.

In this thought-provoking new work, the world renowned theologian Gary Dorrien reveals how Kantian and post-Kantian idealism were instrumental in the foundation and development of modern Christian theology.

• Presents a radical rethinking of the roots of modern theology
• Reveals how Kantian and post-Kantian idealism were instrumental in the foundation and development of modern Christian theology
• Shows how it took Kant's writings on ethics and religion to launch a fully modern departure in religious thought
• Dissects Kant's three critiques of reason and his moral conception of religion
• Analyzes alternative arguments offered by Schleiermacher, Schelling, Hegel, and others - moving historically and chronologically through key figures in European philosophy and theology
• Presents notoriously difficult and intellectual arguments in a lucid and accessible manner

From the Back Cover

What role, if any, did Immanuel Kant and post-Kantian idealists such as Hegel play in shaping modern theology? In Kantian Reason and Hegelian Spirit, noted theologian Gary Dorrien argues that Kantian and post-Kantian idealism were instrumental in the foundation and development of modern Christian theology.

In this thought-provoking new work, Dorrien contends that while pre-Kantian rationalism offered a critique of religion's authority, it held no theory about the creative powers of mind, nor about the spiritual ground and unifying reality of freedom. As Kant provided both of these, he can be considered the originator of modern religious thought. Dorrien reveals how the post-Kantian idealists also played an important role, by fashioning other forms of liberal religious thought through alternative solutions to the Kantian problems of subjectivity and dualism. Dorrien carefully dissects Kant's three critiques of reason and his moral conception of religion, and analyzes the alternatives to Kant offered by Schleiermacher, Schelling, Hegel, and others. Dorrien goes on to provide a substantial account of the development of liberal theology in Britain, and the thought of Paul Tillich and Karl Barth, showing how these, as well as the dominant traditions of German liberal theology, and even the powerful critiques of liberal religious idealism proffered by Kierkegaard and the left-Hegelian school, were rooted in Kantian or post-Kantian idealism.

Presenting these notoriously difficult arguments in a wonderfully lucid and accessible manner, Dorrien solidifies his reputation as a pre-eminent social ethicist. Kantian Reason and Hegelian Spirit offers deeply illuminating insights into the impact of 19th-century philosophical idealism on contemporary religious thought.

Review Quotes

"Nonetheless, the thoroughness of this volume and the cogency of its arguments make it an absolute must for theology students." (Religious Studies Review, 27 February 2014)

"Dorrien's book-which I cannot avoid calling brilliant-will hold the same enduring place in giving an historical justification for his "modern theology" that Barth's Protestant Theology in the Nineteenth Century holds in setting the table for Barth's dogmatics. Time will tell whether the future belongs to Dorrien's theology, Barth's (in historical or repristinated form), or some other." (Themelios, 1 August 2013)

"Graduate students and philosophy of religion students will find this book indispensable. Summing Up: Essential. All libraries supporting graduate programs in theology and religion." (Choice, 1 February 2013)

About the Author