300 years ago Immanuel Kant was born - and I want to dedicate an extensive series of lectures to his whole philosophy. I spent the past year studying the 29 volumes of Kant's collected works and reading at least a 100 pages of Kant every day, in order to now provide the probably most comprehensive and most thorough presentation on his philosophy which has been attempted so far, to show its inner systematic relations and, most of all, to identify Kant's contribution to the aufklärung of humanity.
Kant's philosophy - Theodicy: Why does God let evil happen?
The problem of theodicy is about the issue of the justification of God in face of the bad in the world. According to Kant's moral theology God is to be conceived in three roles: As holy creator, benevolent governer and just judge of the world. Therefore his holiness, benevolence and justice can be called into question and therefore there also is a need for a threefold justification.
Quote: 0:08
The problem of theodicy: 1:01
Kant's contribution to the theodicy: 5:27
Why did a holy God create evil?: 20:48
One doesn't become an atheist because of the problem of theodicy, rather theodicy becomes a problem because of atheism: 50:08
There is more aufklärung and less ausklärung needed: 1:07:43
Why does a benevolent God allow ills?: 1:18:37
- The ills are a matter of perspective: 1:21:46
- Man is perpetrator, not victim: 1:55:25
- The sensual world is not the final purpose: 2:07:03
Why does a just God not punish evil?: 2:19:24
Thanks: 2:41:39
Overview over theology according to Kant: https://jonathanivoloewer.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/theology-according-to-Kant.png
Theodicy Kant discusses most extensively and clearly in his lectures on rational theology: https://archive.org/details/kantsgesammeltes0000kant_r0k1/mode/2up (I am not aware of any English translation).
Whoever wants to support my aufkläring work can do so via:
https://ko-fi.com/jonathanivoloewer
https://www.patreon.com/jonathanivoloewer
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=VDDT7T7XHR77U
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10 Oct 2026
Kant's philosophy - Wherein lies God's mercy and grace?
Reason, according to Kant, needs to ascribe to God three moral attributes: He is the holy lawgiver, the benevolent governor and the just judge. Benevolence and mercy however seem to be in contradiction with the other two attributes - with the relentless strictness of the lawgiver who demands nothing less than holiness, and the complete justice of the judge which doesn't leave even the smallest transgression unpunished. According to Kant however God's grace consists of not only not punishing the good person but rewarding him, of not making it impossible for us to stand in front of his judgment, and most of all of assisting us as long as we just honestly strive for being good.
Quote: 0:08
Moral theology: 1:04
The conflict between the attributes of God: 8:00
God rewards the good person out of grace, not out of justice: 10:21
God gives us everything which we need in order to stand in front of his judgment: 16:54
Theodicy: 38:38
The divine assistance to our imperfect morality: 48:29
The dialectic of reason in regards to God's assistance: 1:06:42
The theoretical belief in the antithesis harms religion: 1:19:06
Practically we ought to live according to the thesis: 1:30:21
God's grace is not bestowed, but always is already there when we open ourselves for it: 1:49:26
Thanks: 2:08:54
The antimoies in regards to God’s assistance Kant discusses in his Religion Within the Bounds of Mere Reason: https://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/kant1793.pdf. Aside from that many remarks on God’s benevolence and grace and the divine assistance can be found in the passages of his lectures on moral philosophy: https://www.archive.org/details/kantsgesammeltes271imma | https://archive.org/details/kantsgesammeltes272imma | https://archive.org/details/kantsgesammeltes0027kant_s1s1/mode/2updealing with religion (I am not aware of any English translation).
Whoever wants to support my aufkläring work can do so via:
https://ko-fi.com/jonathanivoloewer
https://www.patreon.com/jonathanivoloewer
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=VDDT7T7XHR77U
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4 Oct 2026
Kant's philosophy - The Trinity: Why the Godhead must be conceived as triune
According to Kant there are three kinds of theology, each leading to different concepts of God and ascribing different predicates to God: While transcendental theology ascribes to God only ontological attributes in the highest perfection and describes him als omnipresent, omnisufficient etc., physicotheology ascribes to him psychological attributes like a will or omniscience, moral theology however conceives of him as having three moral attributes: Being the holy law-giver, the benevolent preserver and the just judge, three characteristics which, according to Kant, exist in all kinds of faith at least unconsciously.
Quote: 0:08
Moral theology: 1:23
God's moral main attributes: 11:23
1. The holy law-giver and creator: 17:22
2. The benevolent preserver and world-governor: 30:11
3. The just judge and destroyer: 33:11
God's non-moral secondary attributes: 35:51
The true religion: 41:08
Why God has specifically three attributes: 45:05
Why the separation of the three moral attributes of God is important: 1:07:56
Kant's moral theology and the christian doctrine of the trinity: 1:31:20
The trinity in other kinds of faith: 1:47:17
Thanks: 2:14:35
Overview over theology according to Kant: https://jonathanivoloewer.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/theology-according-to-Kant.png
Of the divine trinity Kant speaks in various places concerning God and religion in his lectures on moral philosophy: https://www.archive.org/details/kantsgesammeltes271imma | https://archive.org/details/kantsgesammeltes272imma | https://archive.org/details/kantsgesammeltes0027kant_s1s1/mode/2up and in his lectures on metaphysics, wherever these are concerned with rational theology: https://archive.org/details/kantsgesammeltes0028kant/mode/2up | https://archive.org/details/kantsgesammeltes0028kant_d7g2/mode/2up as well as in his lectures on rational theology: https://archive.org/details/kantsgesammeltes0000kant_r0k1/mode/2up (I am not aware of any English translations).
Whoever wants to support my aufkläring work can do so via:
https://ko-fi.com/jonathanivoloewer
https://www.patreon.com/jonathanivoloewer
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=VDDT7T7XHR77U
Thumbnail: www.hotpot.ai
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