And yet, Was Kant an Atheist?

Abstract

The text is devoted to the critical analysis of A. Sudakov’s paper «Kant on his way towards a demonstration of God’s existence, or: one unfortunate postulate». It presents the historical and philosophical arguments that reveal the practical significance of Kantian postulate of God's existence and demonstrates the lack of substantiation in criticism of this postulate by A. Sudakov: it indicates the absence in Kant's practical philosophy of the so-called «mononuclear» concept of the highest good; the so-called «ethical incoherences» which A. Sudakov discovers in Kantian ethico-theological evidence are subjected to the critical examination. Special attention is paid to the Kantian distinction between the ideal of blessedness and private human blessedness/happiness, while A. Sudakov confused them in his analysis of Kantian argumentation. The paper states that A. Sudakov does not quite correctly reproach Kant for the failure in his ethico-theological argumentation, hinting at the doubtfulness of his claims to the practical knowledge of the supersensual world. Sudakov's attempt to oppose Kant's moral teaching to Christian moral teachings, as well as Kant's position in Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals and in the later Critique of practical reason is questioned. In the course of historical and philosophical research the closeness of Kantian moral position to the teaching of Jesus Christ, as well as its consistency throughout the «critical period» of the German thinker's work is established.