The Invention of Autonomy: A History of Modern Moral Philosophy

J.B. Schneewind's remarkable book is the most comprehensive study ever written of the history of moral philosophy. Its aim is to set Kant's still influential ethics in its historical context by showing in detail what the central questions in moral philosophy were for him and how he arrived at his own distinctive ethical views. In its range, analyses, and discussion of the subtle interweaving of religious and political thought with moral philosophy, this is an unprecedented account of the evolution of Kant's ethics.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Acknowledgements; A note on references and abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Themes in the history of modern moral philosophy; Part I. The Rise and Fall of Modern Natural Law: 2. Natural law: from intellectualism to voluntarism; 3. Setting religion aside: republicanism and skepticism; 4. Natural law restated: Suarez and Grotius; 5. Grotianism at the limit: Hobbes; 6. A morality of love: Cumberland; 7. The central synthesis: Pufendorf; 8. The collapse of modern natural law: Locke and Thomasius; Part II. Perfectionism and Rationality: 9. Origins of modern perfectionism; 10. Paths to God: I. The Cambridge Platonists; 11. Paths to God: II. Spinoza and Malebranche; 12. Leibniz: Counterrevolutionary perfectionism; Part III. Toward a World on its Own: 13. Morality without salvation; 14. The recovery of virtue; 15. The austerity of morals: Clarke and Mandeville; 16. The limits of love: Hutcheson and Butler; 17. Hume: virtue naturalized; 18. Against a fatherless world; 19. The noble effects of self-love; Part IV. Autonomy and Divine Order: 20. Perfection and will: Wolff and Crusius; 21. Religion, morality, and reform; 22. The invention of autonomy; 23. Kant in the history of moral philosophy; Epilogue: 24. Pythagoras, Socrates, and Kant: understanding the history of moral philosophy; Bibliography; Index of names; Index of subjects; Index of biblical citations.

Review :
"The Invention of Autonomy is a remarkable work." New Series "The author successfully aims at clarity, accuracy, and conciseness in telling the history as it was understood by those who made it -- in their own words and with a full conciousness of the religious and sociopolitical contexts. As a contribution to scholarship, Schneewind's book brings together a great deal of material from many sources. Its encylclopedic character makes it primarirly useful as a work of reference for specialists -- both professors and graduate students -- in modern ethical theory and the history of modern philosophy." John A. Gueguen, Perspectives on Political Science "The author successfully aims at clarity, accuracy, and conciseness in telling the history as it was understood by those who made it -- in their own words and with a full conciousness of the religious and sociopolitical contexts. As a contribution to scholarship, Schneewind's book brings together a great deal of material from many sources. Its encylclopedic character makes it primarirly useful as a work of reference for specialists -- both professors and graduate students -- in modern ethical theory and the history of modern philosophy." John A. Gueguen, Perspectives on Political Science "...this book is a major scholarly achievement." Terence Penelhum, Ethics "The book is in part appropriate for upper-level undergraduate courses concerned with the history of ethics and practical philosophy, including aspects of political philosophy...scholars will find it to offer a strong antidote to anachronistic interpretation from the limited perspective of twentieth century ethics. Schneewind's scholarship is uniformly of the very highest caliber. Schneewind shows what can be done by someone with complete command over the currents of an entire epoch." Review of Metaphysics "This book is valuable in a great many ways...Schneewind has done a remarkable job of placing Kant in the context of historical issues...This is among the very most complete and insightful histories of ethics available today." Ethics and Medicine "The book is in part appropriate for upper-level undergraduate courses concerned with the history of ethics and practical philosophy, including aspects of political philosophy...scholars will find it to offer a strong antidote to anachronistic interpretation from the limited perspective of twentieth century ethics. Schneewind's scholarship is uniformly of the very highest caliber. Schneewind shows what can be done by someone with complete command over the currents of an entire epoch." Review of Metaphysics