Kant's Perpetual Peace

Paper Summary:

Kant is a philosopher usually associated with the humanistic viewpoint and, on occasion, as a commentator on political organization. In his essay on perpetual peace, Kant is speaking of the political form of government he calls a "republican constitution." The paper shows that the three main ingredients to his argument could be said to be citizens, rulers, and a "diplomatic corps." The republican constitution is said to have citizens, including the ruler, who have a voice in the governing of that community. The paper explains that the non-republican government consists of a single ruler, subjects rather than citizens, and the necessary bureaucracy or "diplomatic corps." The subject of Kant's essay, therefore, is the process of decision making in declaring war.

From the Paper:

"From Kant's perspective, war is reduced to its simplest form in the consideration of social perception and, or, the absence of a collective need. He does not take into account that many of the world's most devastating conflicts have involved cycles of oppression, victimization and revenge. These are the reasonings of an individual that are then attributed to a state or philosophical view of government. For instance, imperialism is an act of war (oppression) that is derived from the individual's sense of greed and escalates into a nation state's policy of expansionism."

More papers on Kant's Perpetual Peace:

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