Dorothy Mary Emmet (1904–2000)

Emmet's second last book reads like the career of a lifelong lecturer in philosophy finally developing her own consolidated theory. Using Kant's idea of 'Regulative Ideals', she discusses the illusion of unrealisable goals and where they come from. Mostly drawing from pre-20th Century philosophy (from Aristotle/Plato to St. Augustine to Hegel to Kant), she discusses politics, religion and social structures and the ideals that guide them (without a possibility of ever reaching them).

The book and its concepts are interesting, but the examples are a little drawn out and historical in context. For anyone interested in a deeper look at one part of the philosophy of Kant this is probably worth a read.… (meer)