Begründen und Rechtfertigen - Eine Untersuchung zum Verhältnis zwischen rationalen Erfordernissen und prävalenten Handlungsgründen

This book gives an account of the relationship between rational requirements and overriding reasons for action. The author argues that whereas the former are governed by a standard of intra-personal coherence of attitudes, the latter ask for some sort of moral reasoning in order to meet the standard of inter-personal coherence of attitudes. In the former case, we essentially give reasons for action to ourselves (begründen), in the latter, a justification is owed to others (rechtfertigen). In contrast to non-detachable practical inferences involved in instrumental reasoning, some principle equivalent to Kant’s categorical imperative is needed to buttress the premise of practical inferences with the conclusion to be detached.


Konstantin Pollok, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C., USA.