Kant’s Moderate Cynicism and the Harmony between Virtue and Worldly Happiness

For Kant, any authentic moral demands are wholly distinct from the de- mands of prudence. This has led critics to complain that Kantian moral demands are incompatible with our human nature as happiness-seekers. To address this worry, Kant would need to show us that aiming at morality does not require us to abandon our hope for happiness in this life. This paper argues that Kant—building on insights from rousseau that Kant identifies with Cynicism—offers an account of a harmony between virtue and worldly happiness that can sustain such a hope.