{"id":40909,"date":"2025-10-23T07:15:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T14:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=40909"},"modified":"2025-10-27T21:26:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T04:26:48","slug":"building-a-stable-abode-of-thought-kants-rules-for-virtuous-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/building-a-stable-abode-of-thought-kants-rules-for-virtuous-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a stable \u2018abode of thought\u2019: Kant\u2019s rules for virtuous thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alexander T. Englert<\/a>, University of Richmond<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes a life virtuous? The answer might seem simple: virtuous actions \u2013 actions that align with morality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But life is more than doing. Frequently, we just think. We observe and spectate; meditate and contemplate. Life often unfolds in our heads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a philosopher<\/a>, I specialize in the Enlightenment thinker Immanuel Kant<\/a>, who had volumes \u2013 literally \u2013 to say about virtuous actions. What I find fascinating, however, is that Kant also believed people can think virtuously, and should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To do so, he identified three simple rules<\/a>, listed and explained in his 1790 book, \u201cCritique of the Power of Judgment,\u201d namely: Think for yourself. Think in the position of everyone else. And, finally, think in harmony with yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If followed, he thought a \u201csensus communis,\u201d or \u201ccommunal sense,\u201d could result, improving mutual understanding by helping people appreciate how their ideas relate to others\u2019 ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given our current world, with its \u201cpost-truth\u201d culture<\/a> and isolated echo chambers, I believe Kant\u2019s lessons in virtuous thinking offer important tools today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rule 1: Think for yourself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thinking can be both active and passive. We can choose where to direct our attention and use reason to solve problems or consider why things happen. Still, we cannot completely control our stream of thought; feelings and ideas bubble up from influences outside our control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One kind of passive thinking is letting others think for us. Such passive thinking, Kant thought, was not good for anybody. When we accept someone else\u2019s argument without a second thought, it is like handing them the wheel to think for us. But thoughts lie at the foundation of who we are and what we do, thus we should beware of abdicating control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A late 18th-century portrait of Immanuel Kant, possibly by Elisabeth von St\u00e4gemann. Norwegian Digital Learning Arena via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kant had a word for handing over the wheel: \u201cheteronomy,\u201d or surrendering freedom to another authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For him, virtue depended on the opposite<\/a>: \u201cautonomy,\u201d or the ability to determine our own principles of action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same principle holds true for thinking, Kant wrote. We have an obligation to take responsibility for our own thinking and to check its overarching validity and soundness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Kant\u2019s day, he was especially concerned about superstition, since it provides consoling, oversimplified answers to life\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, superstition is still widespread<\/a>. But many new, pernicious forms of trying to control thought now proliferate, thanks to generative artificial intelligence and the amount of time we spend online. The rise of deepfakes<\/a>, the use of ChatGPT for creative tasks<\/a>, and information ecosystems that block out opposing views are but a few examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kant\u2019s Rule 1 tells us to approach content and opinions cautiously. Healthy skepticism provides a buffer and leaves room for reflection. In short, active or autonomous thinking protects people from those who seek to think for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rule 2: Think in the position of everyone else<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pride often tempts us to believe that we have everything figured out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rule 2 checks this pride. Kant recommends what philosophers call \u201cepistemic humility<\/a>,\u201d or humility about our own knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stepping outside our own beliefs isn\u2019t just about opening up new perspectives. It\u2019s also the bedrock of science, which seeks shared agreement<\/a> about what is and is not true<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suppose you\u2019re in a meeting and a consensus is taking shape. Strong personalities and a quorum support it, but you remain unsure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, Rule 2 does not recommend that you adopt the view of the others. Quite the opposite, in fact. If you simply accept the group\u2019s conclusion without further thought, you\u2019d be breaking Rule 1: Think for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, Rule 2 prescribes temporarily detaching yourself from even your own way of thinking, especially your own biases. It\u2019s an opportunity to \u201cthink in the position of everyone else<\/a>.\u201d What would a fair and discerning thinker make of this situation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kant believed that, while difficult, a standpoint can be achieved in which biases all but vanish. We might notice things that we missed before. But this requires appreciating our own limitations and seeking a wider, more universal view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, Kant\u2019s idea of virtue depends on autonomy, so Rule 2 isn\u2019t about letting others think for us. To be responsible for how we shape the world, we must take responsibility for our own thinking, since everything flows from that point outward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it emphasizes the \u201ccommunal\u201d part of the \u201csensus communis,\u201d reminding us that it must be possible to share what is true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rule 3: Think in harmony with yourself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The final rule, Kant maintained, is both the most difficult and profound. He said that it was the task of becoming \u201ceinstimmig<\/a>,\u201d literally \u201cof one voice\u201d with ourselves. He also uses a related term, \u201ckonsequent\u201d \u2013 coherent \u2013 to express the same idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Blue
Immanuel Kant\u2019s tomb at the Konigsberg Cathedral in Kaliningrad, Russia. Denis Gavrilov\/iStock via Getty Images Plus<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To clarify, a metaphor that Kant employed can help \u2013 namely, carpentry<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Constructing a building is complex. The blueprint must be sound, the building materials must be high quality, and craftsmanship matters. If the nails are hammered sloppily or steps performed out of order, then the edifice might collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rule 3 tells us to construct our abode of thought with the same care as when constructing a house, such that stability between the parts results. Each thought, belief and intention is a building block. To be \u201ceinstimmig\u201d or \u201cb\u00fcndig\u201d \u2013 to be in \u201charmony\u201d \u2013 these building blocks should fit well together and support each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine a colleague who you believe has impeccable taste. You trust his opinions. But one day, he shares his secret obsession with death metal music \u2013 a genre you dislike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A disharmony in thought might result. Your reaction to his love of death metal reveals a further belief: Your belief that only people with disturbed taste could love something you perceive to be so grating to the spirit. But he seems, otherwise, like such a thoughtful and pleasant person!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than immediately change your belief about him, Kant\u2019s third rule commands you to investigate the world and your own thoughts further. Perhaps you have never listened to death metal with a discerning spirit. Maybe your original beliefs about your colleague were inaccurate. Or could it be that having good taste is more complex than you originally thought?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rule 3 leads us to do a system check of our mental architecture, whether we\u2019re considering music, politics, morality or religion. And if that architecture is stable, Kant thinks that rewards will follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, harmony is satisfying; but that\u2019s not all. A sturdy system of thought might equip us better for integrated, creative thinking. When I understand how things connect, my own control over them can improve. For example, insight about human psychology will open up new ways to think about morality, and vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But ultimately, Kant found harmony important because it supports the construction of a coherent \u201cworldview.\u201d The English language gained that term through the translation of a German word, \u201cWeltanschauung,\u201d which Kant coined<\/a> and which has been a focus of my own work<\/a>. At its most basic, a harmonious worldview allows us to feel more at home in the world: We gain a sense of how it hangs together, and see it as imbued with meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we think ultimately determines how we live. If we have a stable abode of thought, we take that stability into everything we do and have some shelter from life\u2019s storms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexander T. Englert<\/a>, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Richmond<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alexander T. Englert, University of Richmond What makes a life virtuous? The answer might seem simple: virtuous actions \u2013 actions that align with morality. But life is more than doing. Frequently, we just think. We observe and spectate; meditate and contemplate. Life often unfolds in our heads. As a philosopher, I specialize in the Enlightenment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":40910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8025,42,10,36,38],"tags":[16766,196,4922,885,891,886,860,581,17060,8566,1771],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40909"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40909"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40911,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40909\/revisions\/40911"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}