Should He Have Been?
from Part II - Historical and Philosophical Implications
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 September 2025
Kant is often cited by contemporary expressivists as an early proponent of expressivism. But that association remains controversial. In this chapter, I consider whether Kant is best read as an expressivist, focusing on his account of practical thought and language. In doing so, I present a variety of reasons for thinking that Kant’s views are similar in central respects to contemporary forms of expressivism. But I also argue that there are good reasons for the Kantian to resist any such assimilation – reasons for them to think that Kant’s view is not a form of expressivism, but something better than it.
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