Kant’s Casuistical Questions

After each of his discussions of specific ethical duties in the Doctrine of Virtue, Kant adds small sections entitled ‘Casuistical questions’. These questions have received little attention so far, and existing discussions strikingly disagree about their purpose. In this article, I argue that locating Kant’s conception of moral philosophy within a longstanding tradition of ethical reflection—one aimed at shaping human character and freeing us from our own forms of self-entrapment—helps us understand the point of the discussion of casuistical questions. On my proposed reading, the casuistical questions articulate exemplary instances of the sort of moral difficulties that human beings face, which can be traced to certain sources. Like in the practice of a therapist, the first part of dealing with these difficulties lies in achieving an understanding of their origins, which, in turn, moves us closer to overcoming them.