Kant

A Very Short Introduction

By: Roger Scruton

Narrated by: Kyle Munley

Kant is arguably the most influential modern philosopher, but also one of the most difficult. Roger Scruton tackles his exceptionally complex subject with a strong hand, exploring the background to Kant's work and showing why the Critique of Pure Reason has proved so enduring.

©1982, 2001 Roger Scruton (P)2021 Tantor

Great Book, Problematic Narration

First, let me say that I love OUP's Very Short Introductions, and this one of Kant ranks among the best. I think that I could teach an entire undergraduate philosophy course around this book. Many of the VSI books can be read on an airplane, but this one is more demanding. Still, it is very accessible.

I cannot speak as well for Kyle Munley's narration. He makes a number of errors throughout which could significantly change the meaning of the text. I don't just mean his non-standard pronunciation of "Prolegomena" (but, seriously, he should have asked a professional philosopher for guidance on this word). He frequently says "casual" when he should say "causal." A few times he says "intimate" when the text calls or "immediate." These kinds of alterations are a big deal when it comes to Kantian philosophy. So my advice is to pay special attention to Scruton's written text if you decide to also utilize this audiobook.

An excellent (but still complex) intro

Maybe best not to listen to in the car: I had to rewind and relisten frequently. But careful listening was rewarding.

The performance was very good. My only complaint was the constant reading out loud of specific page references to Kant’s writings. This was both enormously distracting and kind of pointless in this medium.

Excellent

Excellent and detailed brief introduction to Kant. This work goes far beyond a “90 minute” mini intro and delves deep into the content of Kants work, supplemented with glimpses of hisofe, times and legacy.

Comprehensive, Well Read, But Very Abstract

Roger Scruton's introduction to Kant will provide you with a functional introduction of Kant's main philosophical positions, their importance, failings, historical context, and contemporary relevance. The book's breadth of philosophical topics (metaphysics, ethics, sexuality, political philosophy, cosmology...), along with Scruton explicitly listing where you will find them (say, for example, a discussion of sexuality) in Kant's publications, definitely inspires one to continue exploring Kant after listening. It has to further be said that Kyle Munley does good work narrating this book by capturing the tone of Scruton's writing style, and this is important because Kant can be a difficult listen owing to the abstract nature of the discourse.

I only have one minor criticism related to this issue. I felt like Scruton could have provided the listener with more tangible examples of Kant's philosophy in action, as it ( and maybe this is my own philosophical ineptitude here) was hard at times to follow the lines of reasoning owing to their conceptual nature. The abstract nouns tend to pile up and create a bit of a meta philosopical maze. There is so much transcendence going on! When tangible examples were given it was much easier to understand what Kant was getting at. Having said this, i am pleased to to have read this book. I learned a great deal about Kant's attempt to unify empiricism and rationalism, but i also learned that i am not a Kantian, which was good, as some philosophies ultimately seek to convert you. I don't know if i will continue on to the Critique of Pure Reason, which is also on audible. Maybe one rainy day, or rainy month.