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Can Kant’s Formula of the End in Itself Condemn Capitalism?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2019

James Furner
James Furner*
Affiliation:
University of the Witwatersrand
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Kantian socialists at the turn of the twentieth century, as well as contemporary authors seeking a principle with which to condemn capitalism, have turned to Kant’s Formula of the End in Itself (FEI). This article assesses the arguments from FEI against capitalism from the perspective of the issues that arise in interpreting and applying Kant’s formula. There are various strategies with which a Kantian might use FEI to condemn conduct that Kant did not use FEI to condemn. The article asks whether any of the existing arguments from FEI employ plausible versions of these strategies to derive a strict duty from that formula’s Never Merely as a Means principle that condemns capitalism.

Keywords

Hermann CohenKantKarl Vorländercapitalismcategorical imperative
Type
Articles
Information
Kantian Review , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , March 2019 , pp. 1 - 25
Copyright
© Kantian Review 2019 

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