Jose M. Torralba

This article examines the elements of Kant’s theory of action. First, it considers the way in which the causality of the faculty of desire is determined, and provides a definition of the maxim as a self-imposed practical rule. Second, it suggests interpreting the maxim as the description of the action, according to the structure of practical reasoning. The main thesis is that the practical character of Kant’s ethics depends on the first-person perspective and the notion of moral bindingness as the constraint of the will.

The paper deals with the role of the faculty of judgement in Kant’s Critique of Practical Reason. It provides an interpretation of the role of the „Typic“ of the faculty of pure practical judgment and the categories of freedom in the constitution of the object of the will. For Kant, the object of the will is, properly speaking, a maxim. It is argued that in the second chapter of the Critique two notions of object and, thus, of maxim are used: one corresponding to the pure practical reason (a second-order maxim) and the other to the empirically conditioned practical reason (a first-order maxim). The object of the will (i. e. of the pure practical reason) is a second-order maxim, to which Kant also sometimes refers as inner attitude (Gesinnung). The categories of freedom provide the necessary knowledge in order to a priori assess any possible maxim. In particular, the „Typic“ allows the moral modality ofamaxim to be determined, that is,whether it is morally possible or not. In this way, pure reason meets one of the essential requirements of autonomy: to constitute by itself the object ofawill determined by the moral law. It is then justified to conceive the causality of the will independently of its matter.

Literature and Character Education in Universities presents the potential of literary and philosophical texts for character education in modern universities. The book engages with theoretical and practical aspects of character development in higher education, combining conceptual discussion of the role of literature in character education with applied case studies from university classrooms. Character education within the academic context of the university presents unique challenges and opportunities. Literature and Character Education in Universities presents perspectives from academics in Europe, the USA and Asia, offering unique insights into the ways that engaged reading and discussion of core texts can promote the development of intellectual and moral virtues. Chapters draw on a wide range of texts from Confucius' Analects to J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, focusing on themes such as truthfulness, self-knowledge, prudence, tolerance, friendship, and humility. Literature and Character Education in Universities will be of real use to researchers, academics and postgraduates in the fields of higher education, philosophy, and literature. It should be essential reading for university educators interested in character development and advocates of literary education in modern universities.

This paper describes the development and implementation of a character education program at the University of Navarra. The Leadership as Service Program has been developed in collaboration with the Oxford Character Project, and has adapted its Global Leadership Initiative to the Spanish context. The purpose of the Leadership as Service Program is to help students develop a sense of personal purpose, and virtues that are specific to leadership, such as prudence, humility, gratitude, resilience, and service. The methodology of the program follows the seven strategies of character education and includes a mentoring program. In order to adapt the Global Leadership Initiative to the Spanish context, the Leadership as Service Program was integrated as much as possible into the fabric of the University of Navarra by means of (1) facilitating a new initiative to develop workshops on purpose; (2) incorporating an existing mentoring program; (3) positioning local actors as experts, and (4) dialogue with stakeholders within the university. First results indicate that the Leadership as Service Program makes a valuable contribution to the ethical and professional development of students, which corroborates with the findings of the Oxford Global Leadership Initiative.

Leibniz, in order to avoid both determinism and indifferentism, says that knowledge inclines the agent towards the best action without necessitating it. According to his modal theory, an action is contingent if the opposite is (logically) possible. The article examines the coherence of Leibniz’s notion of «inclining but not necessitating» in the context of contemporary philosophy of action, profiting from the distinction between reasons and causes. The kind of freedom which is possible according to Leibniz philosophy depends on this question.