Your complimentary articles
You’ve read all of your complimentary articles for this month. To have complete access to the thousands of philosophy articles on this site, please
If you are a subscriber please sign in to your account.
To buy or renew a subscription please visit the Shop.
If you are a print subscriber you can contact us to create an online account.
Hegel & History
Kant, Conflict & Universal History
Terrence Thomson asks what Kant’s concept of history can teach us.
In philosophy departments across the world, Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason (1781), as well as his prominent moral works, such as the Critique of Practical Reason, are analysed, discussed, and often despaired over by students and scholars alike. His ‘critical philosophy’ has even been referenced in popular films: Superman II gives a nod to the Critique of Pure Reason in one of its scenes. By contrast, his philosophy of history remains largely ignored, leading me to ask: Does Kant’s concept of history teach us anything about the world we inhabit? I’d like to briefly argue that Kant’s philosophy of history is actually quite modern and can teach us something about today’s culture and politics.
In 1784, three years after the publication of his Critique of Pure Reason, Kant published a curious article in a prominent intellectual newspaper titled: ‘Idea for a Universal History from a Cosmopolitan Perspective’. Made up of nine Propositions, the article attempted to outline the necessary elements a future historian would have to consider if he or she wanted to compile a universal human history.
…