Dr. Rachel Zuckert

Biography

Rachel Zuckert is the Peter B. Ritzma Professor at Northwestern University in the Department of Philosophy. Her research primarily focuses on Kant within a broad philosophical context, exploring the interplay between Kant's ideas and those of his contemporaries, as well as post-Kantian philosophy and nineteenth-century thought. Zuckert's work examines the Critique of Judgment, with a notable focus on Kant's aesthetics and the philosophy of biology, probing into questions regarding the possibility of empirical knowledge. She is dedicated to investigating the aspirational character of reason in Kant’s view, emphasizing the role of reason in scientific explanation and moral life. In addition to her extensive work on Kant, Zuckert has authored a book on Johann Gottfried Herder’s aesthetic theory and has engaged with topics in eighteenth-century Scottish aesthetics. She offers courses on a range of subjects including Kant, nineteenth-century philosophy, European Enlightenment, and feminist philosophy, and she is looking to expand her curriculum to encompass significant figures and new topics within aesthetic thought. Her selected publications reflect her intensive research in these areas, including a focus on the intersections of beauty, biology, and empirical investigation in Kant's work, as well as contributions to broader discussions on aesthetics and philosophy in the Enlightenment.

Research Interests