Dr. Kurt Mosser at Midsouth Philosophy Conference

Dr. Kurt Mosser presented "Kant, Rousseau, and the "Red Thread" of Autonomy" at the Midsouth Philosophy Conference in Elvis's Memphis in early March,

There is a century-long tradition recognizing the importance of Rousseau for Kant. I argue that this influence has been misconstrued within that tradition by focusing almost exclusively on Kant’s practical philosophy.  I try to demonstrate that Rousseau provides the fundamental strategic hint for the Critical philosophy in general.  For Rousseau, and for Kant, freedom is obedience to the law that I impose on my­self;  fact that we are free to think, judge, and act presupposes a commitment to a set of univer­sal and necessary constraints, which we can discover reflectively, and which themselves make thought, judgment, and action possible.