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Kant on the Despotic Danger of a World State

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2024

Bo Fang
Bo Fang*
Affiliation:
Peking University, Beijing, China
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

In this article, I argue that Kant’s real reason for rejecting a world state in practice is that a world state would be in greater danger of despotism than individual states. Kant hopes that public participation and self-enlightenment of the people in the public sphere could counter the despotic danger in individual states. However, in a world state, state affairs are too distant from the lives of individuals, making it difficult for individuals to maintain enthusiasm for public discourse and political enlightenment. Moreover, the absence of external competition and the risk of war would eliminate the incentive of the ruler to preserve freedom for the development of industry and commerce and, consequently, for the enlightenment of the people. These defects make it more difficult for a world state to resist despotic danger.

Keywords

Kantdespotismworld stateenlightenmentpublic sphere
Type
Article
Information
Kantian Review , Volume 29 , Issue 3 , September 2024 , pp. 387 - 404
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Kantian Review

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