Kant on Love and Law - Including a Glance at St. Paul

Abstract

In his letter to the Romans, as well as in his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul presents us with an insightful account of antinomianism, that is, a critique of the law. It poses a very interesting challenge to Kant’s law conception of ethics. In fact, the Paulinian caveat seems to anticipate some of the criticism that Kant’s confidence in the moral law has encountered. To this day, Friedrich Schiller’s objection (cf. Schiller 1962) may have wielded the most powerful influence. For Kant, as is well known, the law of practical reason grounds morality. Nonetheless, he considers love as a possible source of morality – as do Paul and Schiller.