THE STARRY SKY AND MORAL LAW IMMANUEL KANT’S

The article is devoted to Immanuel Kant’s studies of two phenomena that throughout his life aroused his keen interest and the most positive feelings: «starry sky» and «moral law». The material touches upon the peculiarities of the philosopher’s cosmogonic concept, which turned out to be actually the first in the history of philosophy to propose an original version of a natural scientific solution to the questions of the origin of the Universe and its further development. Kant’s cosmogonic hypothesis was undoubtedly revolutionary for its time. Formulated and substantiated at the very beginning of his scientific and philosophical work, it did not undergo any fundamental changes until the end of his life. The starry sky impressed Kant with its consistency, order, rigid stability, strict regularity, testifying, in his opinion, to «immediate divine order». In Kant’s opinion, morality had the same characteristics. Having developed his own vision of the relationship between reason and practical experience, the philosopher proposed his ethical teaching, explaining how reason is embodied in will, which contributes to the formation of principles of moral behavior that must be followed when choosing actions. Kant puts the starry sky and the moral law on a par, because, according to his deep conviction, both natural laws and the laws that determine human behavior embody the highest general order, harmony and justice. The realization of this fact has a deep emotional effect on the philosopher, causing surprise and awe.