Obligation and Practical Reason

Project manager: Prof. Dr. Heiner F. Klemme

Duration of Project: ongoing

The concept of obligation, which was introduced in the philosophical debate mainly by Christian Wolff, lies at the heart of this project. Its significance from a historical, philosophical and interdisciplinary perspective will be explored and discussed, while paying particular attention to the period of the Enlightenment.

"Obligation" (Verbindlichkeit) is, with the term "Verpflichtung" used in the (philosophical, legal, theological) terminology of the 18th century as a translation of "obligatio" (in Pufendorf and Wolff among others). Occasionally, the concept of duty (Pflicht) is also used, but rather in a narrow sense, as a synonym for "officium". While "obligation" (Verbindlichkeit) denotes the relationship or the bound ("vinculum") that exists between men and their general rules of action, the concept of duty (Pflicht), used in the narrower sense, expresses a concrete action whose execution is required from a person by a rule, a law or a norm. The binding nature (Verbindlichkeit) of a rule, a law or norm is typically traced back to a will which has the authority to compel another person (active and passive obligation - Verbindlichkeit or Verpflichtung).

In principle, this applies to the will of God (divine law) or to the will of a people (human law). With the concept of natural law, the question arises whether this law can be traced back to the will of God or has validity independently from God.

In the latter case (anti-voluntarism) the binding nature (Verbindlichkeit) of natural law is attributed to reason, the necessity for which is also subject to divine will (Grotius, Wolff).

Generally, a law can be understood as a rule to which compliance is necessary (practical necessity, moral necessity).

The project has three dimensions: firstly, the various meanings of "Verbindlichkeit" in moral and legal terms in the era of the Enlightenment need to be clarified and examined in respect to their philosophical content. Secondly, we will evaluate the general relation between the concept of "Verbindlichkeit" and modern theories of practical reason (rationality). And thirdly, the semantic fields to which "Verbindlichkeit" belongs will be analysed in an interdisciplinary perspective (theology, history, literature, etc.).

• Klemme, Heiner F.: „Freiheit und Selbstherrschaft. Über den gemeinsamen Grund von Theodizee und moralischer Verbindlichkeit beim frühen Kant“, in: Freiheit nach Kant, ed. by Jörg Noller und Saša Josifović. Leiden 2019 (Critical Studies in German Idealism, 22).
• Klemme, Heiner F.: „Über den Begriff einer Metaphysik der Tugend. Die Vorrede zur Tugendlehre“, in: Immanuel Kant, Metaphysische Anfangsgründe der Tugendlehre, ed. byOtfried Höffe. Berlin/Boston 2019 (=Klassiker Auslegen).
• Klemme, Heiner F.: „Suche Frieden und schließe einen Vertrag! Das grundlegende und das erste abgeleitete Gesetz in De Cive (Kap. II)“, in: Thomas Hobes, De Cive, ed. by Otfried Höfe. Berlin/Boston 2018 (=Klassiker auslegen), pp. 51-66.
• Klemme, Heiner F.: „Gewissen und Verbindlichkeit. Kants Idee eines „inneren Gerichtshofs“ zwischen Christian Wolff und Adam Smith“, in: Der „innere Gerichtshof“ der Vernunft, ed. by Saša Josifović und Arthur Kok. Leiden 2016 (Critical studies in German Idealism, 18), pp. 63-83.
• Klemme, Heiner F., „Freiheit, Recht und Selbsterhaltung. Zur philosophischen Bedeutung von Kants Begriff der Verbindlichkeit“, in: Normativität des Lebens – Normativität der Vernunft?, ed. by Markus Rothhaar and Martin Hähnel. Berlin/Boston 2015, pp. 95-116.
• Klemme, Heiner F., „Kants Erörterung der „libertas indifferentiae“ in der Metaphysik der Sitten und ihre philosophische Bedeutung“, in: Internationales Jahrbuch des Deutschen Idealismus / International Yearbook of German Idealism, 9/2011, ed. by Fred Rush and Jürgen Stolzenberg. Berlin 2013, pp. 22-50.