Chapter 4 provides an environmental interpretation of Kant’s aesthetic and teleological theory as developed in the Critique of the Power of Judgment. To put Kant’s insights in dialogue with new contributions in climate aesthetics, I begin with Kant’s theory of the sublime. I claim that Kant’s account of the dynamical sublime has important moral and political relevance for climate philosophy despite its human-centered focus. Next, I look into Kant’s account of natural beauty, which I suggest justifies duties against environmental degradation. I also touch on Kant’s duties to love nature’s harmony and purposes in light of ecological stewardship. The chapter concludes with a look into Kantian teleology from the Critique of Judgment. I propose that teleological judgment can be used to motivate protection of non-beautiful aspects of ecosystems, especially in light of climate-related biodiversity loss.

The Introduction sets the book its principal task: presenting a reading of the Critique of the Power of Judgment that establishes that one of its primary aims is to complete Kant’s account of the transcendental conditions of a particular empirical experience and knowledge of nature. This task is the main concern of the Critique of the Aesthetics Power of Judgment and the Critique of the Teleological Power of Judgment. It further specifies the methodological commitment to offering a unified reading of the book as a whole, based on close exegesis.