"They are too relative to feelings, varying standards, or shifting mores. For anything to deserve the title of the good, by contrast, Kant thought that every rational being must be able to deem it choice worthy, regardless of whether one personally desires it or not. Whatever is good, in short, must be absolutely so. Therefore, for Kantians (though non-Kantians can easily endorse this too), the good is an unequivocal concept, which rises above individual whim, above groupthink, above tribalism, above what is fashionable, above cultural norms - above even space and time. But what then qualifies as good in this unequivocal sense? Kant is perhaps most famous for stating that the only unequivocally good thing is a good will. His thought, while bound up with complex arguments, is also highly intuitive. Take anything that one might typically call "good," like money, health, youth, or even virtues like courage and frugality. Now, think about them possessed by someone - picture a paragon of maleficence - who uses them for nefarious purposes"--
Immanuel Kant claimed that when we act on the moral law, we engage in a collective project to bring about a world that we can only grasp in reason. The resulting image of an ideal world, Kant called, the highest good. Since Kant's time, this ideal has challenged philosophical interpretation. What, after all, is its use, if (as Kant thought) the moral law is sufficient to determine how we should act? What is the highest good actually good for in everyday life? In contrast to standard readings, which see the highest good's main importance related to action, The Reality of the Ideal presents a fresh perspective according to which the highest good's primary importance is for certain moments of contemplation, both local and global in scope.
Englert posits that on one hand, it is important locally as a point of comparison that enables us to judge moral progress or degrees of morality (and its opposite) in experience. On the other hand, it becomes important globally as a point of reference in relation to which we can construct a harmonious worldview. In both instances, it ultimately serves as a perfect point of comparison for an imperfect world. These contemplative moments, in sum, show that the highest good is an ineliminable feature of experience, anchoring a deep sense of meaning of how the whole of experience might fit together coherently. Out of this analysis, it becomes clear that while not existing in a standard sense, the ideal is anything but a fiction.
Immanuel Kant is perhaps most famous in ethics for his idea of the moral law, or categorical imperative. But the moral law is just part of the story. As we are moved by the moral law, so too are we moved to think of a possible world in which this law has complete control. The resulting image of an ideal world, Kant calls, the highest good. But why is this ideal important for everyday life? In The Reality of the Ideal, Englert breaks new ground by arguing that its primary importance is to aid us in contemplation and the construction of a worldview.
