God, the Highest Good, and the Rationality of Faith: Reflections on Kant's Moral Proof of the Existence of God

The paper deals with the intricate analysis of the moral proof of the existence of God that Kant offers at the of the "Critique of Judgment". It is argued that the proof aims at a vision of the world as purposively structured by a highest intelligence, and to raise the notion of an intelligent world cause up to the concept of a personal God. However, it is also shown that the moral argument does not aim at providing knowledge of God. Rather, it aims at what Kant calls 'Belief' or 'Faith' (Glauben), which is not so much a doxastic attitude as an essential ingredient of a moral agent's commitment to the moral law.