The Practical Philosophy of Hermeneutic Realism

Abstract

The question of whether or how philosophical ethics as a practical science is possible was subject of intense discussions during the second half of the last century, both in analytical and continental philosophy. In a particularly pressing manner, this question also arises for the hermeneutic realism of Anton Friedrich Koch. Against the background of Koch’s subjectivity thesis and his antinomy thesis, a complete and consistent normative theory, morally and legally, is not to be expected for the area of human action. In this article, the practical philosophy of hermeneutic realism, which is indicated at various points in Koch’s work, is reconstructed and contrasted with alternative modern moral theories.