Stephen Darwall argues that the conditions of the possibility of addressing demands second-personally entail a commitment to Kantian moral principles. He also argues that previous attempts to vindicate Kantian morality, as a necessary presupposition of agency, have failed. I defend both of Darwall’s arguments against recent objections. But my replies help to bring out a dilemma: either Darwall’s account collapses into previous versions of Kantianism, or it renders morality problematically contingent. I reject the first horn, and then argue that the contingency worry is either not as serious as it seems or affects other versions of Kantianism more severely.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Janis David Schaab (2026) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: