The mind-body-relationship in Kant’s De Medicina Corporis and its consequences for his late moral philosophy

Abstract

Beginning with the interpretation of a little-known manuscript, De Medicina Corporis quae Philosophorum est, this essay explores the mind-body- relationship in the practical philosophy of the late Kant. We will show that his interest in medicine, far from being merely theoretical, has profound implications for his anthropology as well as for his doctrine of virtue. The philosopher must be able to exercise control over the body, that is to say over affections, emotions and passions: for Kant, therefore, both mental and physical health are necessary conditions for a moral life.