The Critique of Judgement: (Containing Kant's `Critique of Aesthetic Judgement' and `Critique of Teleological Judgement'): 'Critique of Aesthetic Judgement', 'Critique of Teleological Judgement' (Paperback)

Kant was a professor of philosophy in the German city of Konigsberg, where he spent his entire life and career. Kant had a very organised and clockwork life - his habits were so regular that it was considered that the people of Konigsberg could set their clocks by his walks. The same regularity was part of his publication history, until 1770, when Kant had a ten-year hiatus in publishing. This was largely because he was working on this book, the 'Critique of Pure Reason'.

Kant as a professor of philosophy was familiar with the Rationalists, such as Descartes, who founded the Enlightenment and in many ways started the phenomenon of modern philosophy. He was also familiar with the Empiricist school (John Locke and David Hume are perhaps the best known names in this), which challenged the rationalist framework. Between Leibniz' monads and Hume's development of Empiricism to its logical (and self-destructive) conclusion, coupled with the Romantic ideals typified by Rousseau, the philosophical edifice of the Enlightenment seemed about to topple.

This book is divided into two major sections, the Critique of Aesthetic Judgement, and the Critique of Teleological Judgement. In the part on Aesthetics, Kant sets up for possible judgements - agreeable, good, sublime and beautiful. This relates back to the 'Critique of Pure Reason' (and scholar J.H. Bernard indicates that this framework is sometimes a bit of a shackle placed on Kant). Those things that are agreeable are wholly sensory in character, whereas those things that are good are ethical in nature. Kant argues that those things that are beautiful and sublime fall between the two poles of 'agreeable' and 'good'. Beauty is involved in purpose (teleology), whereas sublimity is that which goes beyond comprehension (and can be an object of fear). This also involves an idea of mind that allows for genius and creative activity.

In the section on teleology, this is a way of looking at things based on their ends (telos), and links to aesthetics in terms of beauty (which has a sense of finality of form) as well as links to scientific purposes - Kant particularly is concerned to explore biology and the telos of the natural world. This also involves physics and logical principles, bringing Kant full circle back to some of the ideas from the 'Critique of Pure Reason'.

This is one of Kant's master works, and while there is much that modern philosophers disagree with, there is also the sense in which no subsequent philosophy can ignore the developments and implications of Kant's Critique project.

Right, who's left? The interested student, hopefully. Well you're in for a treat here. The Critique of Judgement (or 3rd Critique) represents the final cog in the grand Kantian machine. It is here the he covers the ground untouched by the earlier two critiques, and it is here also that he explores the limits of his system of metaphysics - often with startling results.

The book is divided into two parts. The first concerns Aesthetic Judgement, and concerns itself with that eternal question 'what makes art art?' This is essential reading for anybody with a bug for aesthetics, as old Immanuel represents the starting point for the modern philosophical account of aesthetic experience. Additionally those who have read the 1st Critique will find much here surprising, especially regarding Kant's account of the Sublime.

The second (and less read) part is titled the Critique of Teleological Judgement. It is here that we find Kant battling with the limitations of the 1st Critique, regarding the question of teleology in the world. It is a most impressive read, but I will be the first to admit that I'm not entirely sure what is going on.

As to this edition, Pluhar represents the best translator of Kant alive today and this book is an academics dream, with comprehensive footnotes and detailed explainations of his decisions regarding the translation of Kant's nuanced German.

In conclusion, the 3rd Critique is for students of either Kant or Aesthetics, and this edition is the best one can buy.

Fortunately, students studying parts of the critique will be able to get help from tutors for the further translation involved when trying to understand the theories. Unfortunately, I don't have access to such help and so flicking through a dictionary was numerous whilst reading this book. Therefore, I do recommend buying an introductory or guide book which gives explanations in simpler English!