Religion's Two Prefaces and the Moral Foundations of Pure Rational Faith

The prefaces to books are often skipped or, if read, are often done so out of politeness to the author. They typically contain the author’s acknowledgments, sometimes a few brief autobiographical notes, or anecdotes related to the book’s development. The contents of Kant’s prefaces, however, are of a completely different order. They are not to be skipped, not to be skimmed, for they will often contain claims or arguments that are of eminent value to their ensuing project.