Christine Korsgaard
contemporaryKantian Ethics, Constructivismb. 1952
Christine Korsgaard (1952–) is an American moral philosopher and Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University. She is one of the foremost contemporary Kantian ethicists, known for her constructivist account of practical reason and the sources of moral normativity. Her work bridges Kant scholarship with systematic moral theory, arguing that normative obligations are grounded in the self-constituting activity of rational agents.
Notable Achievements
1
Developed a constructivist account of moral normativity in 'The Sources of Normativity' (1996)
2
Articulated a self-constitution theory of agency and identity in 'Self-Constitution' (2009)
3
Reinterpreted Kant's Formula of Humanity as the foundation of ethical obligations
4
Extended Kantian moral theory to obligations toward non-human animals in 'Fellow Creatures' (2018)
5
Trained under John Rawls and became a leading figure in neo-Kantian practical philosophy