Kant’s Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Inquiry

Posted on Nov 10, 2024 in Philosophy and ethics

Rousseau, Kant, and the Path to Peace

Rousseau’s Social Contract

According to Rousseau, the shift from the state of nature to marital status diminishes human happiness, freedom, and goodness. Both thinkers reject the idea of societal “progress.” The establishment of property rights and the authority to protect them leads to a loss of freedom and the rise of inequalities. This creates distinctions between rich and poor, powerful and weak, and masters and slaves.

Rousseau’s proposed solution is the social contract. It establishes the “general will,” which isn’t the sum of individual, selfish desires, but rather the will of the community focused on the common good. By obeying the general will, individuals obey themselves. Rousseau advocates for direct democracy and assembly, where the sovereign is the general will (without representatives) and power is indivisible.

Kant’s Perspective on the Social Contract

Kant, drawing from Hobbes, views the social contract as requiring complete submission to authority. However, he also incorporates Rousseau’s idea that individuals are co-legislators. No law can be adopted without consent, and rulers must create laws as if they originate from the general will.

Kant’s Preliminary Articles for Perpetual Peace

In Toward Perpetual Peace, Kant outlines six preliminary articles for states to achieve peace:

  1. No peace treaty reserving future war is valid.
  2. No independent state may be acquired by another state.
  3. Standing armies should be abolished.
  4. No public debt should be incurred for foreign policy.
  5. No state should interfere in another state’s constitution or government.
  6. No state at war should employ methods that undermine future trust.

Kant’s Definitive Articles for Perpetual Peace

Kant identifies three definitive articles for perpetual peace:

  1. Political Law (Republican Constitution)
  2. Law of Nations (Federation of States)
  3. Cosmopolitan Law (Universal Hospitality)

Political Law

Political law governs relations between individuals within a state and should be based on a republican constitution.

Law of Nations

The law of nations governs relations between states. Kant observes that states exist in a state of war, similar to individuals in the state of nature. While individuals escape this state through submission to a ruler, Kant believes a world state would extinguish freedom. He proposes a federation of republican states to gradually achieve peace.

Cosmopolitan Law

Cosmopolitan law governs relations between individuals and states. Kant argues that every individual, as a citizen of the world, has the right to access any territory without hostility. This law prohibits colonization and promotes trade as a means to peace.

Ethics and Politics

Kant rejects Machiavelli’s separation of ethics and politics, advocating for their reconciliation. He suggests that political action should be “shrewd as serpents” but “without deception, as doves.”

Kant’s Republican Principles

Freedom

Kant, like Rousseau, views freedom as a natural right. He emphasizes both negative and positive political freedom, with individuals as co-authors of state laws.

Equality

All citizens are equal before the law, with the exception of the sovereign, whose absolute authority is necessary for enforcing laws while protecting citizens’ rights.

Citizenship

Citizenship involves participation in state law through voting. Kant distinguishes between active citizens (landowning men, public officials, professionals) and passive citizens (non-voting).

Forms of Sovereignty and Government

Kant criticizes direct democracy, viewing it as a form of despotism. He emphasizes the importance of representative government and the separation of powers.

Republicanism and Representativeness

Kant argues that non-representative government is not true governance. The people are sovereign but must be represented, with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches. This contrasts with Rousseau’s view that freedom exists only during the election of representatives.