Book Review: 'THE CRITIQUE OF PRACTICAL REASON'

'THE CRITIQUE OF PRACTICAL REASON' by Immanuel Kant. Humans, the author mentions, are quite free with the theoretical use of reason and are stranded with unattainable notions. That brings the need to have a vision about the practical use of reason, where, the influence of reason on free will and its actual manifestation can be subjected to scrutiny. Unlike pure reason, where we start with our senses and formulate principles to meet the end, in practical reason, we start with the governing principles, apply our senses, and arrive at our imperatives. 

The book then discusses two theorems to analyze the motive of practical reason. One: one cannot make a practical principle based on one's desire. Two: All practical principles branch out of one's ideas of self-love, or private happiness.  Private happiness, the author says, is not easily definable. "The same man may return unread an instructive book which he cannot again obtain, in order not to miss a hunt; he may depart in the midst of a fine speech, in order not to be late for dinner..." Therefore there cannot be a universal law for this, each one will follow one's own path.

The book then goes on to examine free will, and the possibility of a law for governing it. Not able to postulate a satisfactory one here, the author comes up with this idea: Man has invented a universal law in this regard, which we call the moral law. And, the book says, for moral laws to be effective, the will has to completely free. One can therefore say: the moral law expresses nothing else but pure practical reason. Which can be seen in the expressions we often use. For example, one not happy with self may say, "I am a worthless fellow, I have chosen to fill my purse"; and when one approves oneself, may say: "I am a prudent man, for I have enriched my treasure."

The embodimemt of principles of practical reason is examined in the end. To stay away from hypocrisy, author says, one should not follow laws for the sake of one's own advantage. The letter of the law would be found in our actions, but not the spirit of it in our minds (morality); and as with all our efforts we could not quite free ourselves from reason in our judgement, we must inevitably appear in our own eyes worthless, and depraved. 

I tend to agree with the author, moral maxims are nothing but a collection of practical advices. Where people gather, the most animated discussion is about the moral worth of this or that action by which the character of some person is to be made out. I agree with the author again. As we saw in the beginning, though we can be quite free with theoretical reason, we tend to opt to be practical, when it comes to morals. And it is rather effortless to pontificate about morals, when compared to other aspects of arts or science which takes considerable mental effort.