Kant über die symbolische Erkenntnis Gottes

There is a half-sentence in § 59 of Kant’s Critique of Judgment that appears relatively abruptly and is often overlooked: “so all of our knowledge of God is merely symbolic”. This study attempts to understand this statement by means of an interpretation of the first part of § 59.  This interpretation opens up topics like Kant’s concept of symbols, the status of religious symbols, the relationship between symbol and analogy, and Kant’s understanding of the relation of human knowledge to a transcendent God. The book manages to contribute to an understanding both of Kant’s philosophy of religion and of philosophical theology.


Sebastian Maly, Cusanuswerk, Bonn.