ABSTRACT
This chapter serves as an introduction to the project by examining the historical context of Kant's position, as well as the connection between freedom, virtue, and civil society in his practical philosophy. These issues are foundational in nature and from them it is possible to construct Kant's account of how individuals become virtuous in practice. The first, 'moral metaphysics', examines the nature of morality and moral judgment. The second, 'ethics', examines how this theoretical understanding of morality can be applied in practice to the world around us. One of the first formal investigations into morality and human virtue can be found in the Platonic dialogues. Plato's concern was not the underlying nature or metaphysics of morality but rather how morality manifests itself in the world through the actions of virtuous people. Kant distinguishes between two types of willing, virtuous willing and willing consistently with right.
