Idea for a general story with cosmopolitan intent

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The idea for a general story with cosmopolitan intent is an essay by Immanuel Kant , consisting of a foreword, nine sentences and their reasons. He wrote it in 1784 at the age of 60.

Classification in the overall work

Scripture unfolds the foundations of Kant's philosophy of history. But it also contains theses on the philosophy of the state and on the philosophy of international law and can be seen as a preliminary work to Eternal Peace (1795). The title suggests a “writing of history into the future”, remarkably even here with “ cosmopolitan intent”, ie universally applicable. A legal philosophical consideration can be derived from the work, which is similar to the categorical imperative : The freedom of the individual should be the greatest possible, but finds its limits when society is impaired by it.

The idea on the other hand from the Kant experts Werner flat as an application example of the Critique of Pure Reason seen since the font is validity-theoretical and not empirical. The main question of the work is therefore the assumption of a reasonably justified philosophy of history. Kant puts forward the thesis in his introduction: If we want to think about history meaningfully, then we have to assume that there is an intention of nature.

Summary

The first eight sentences serve as a guide to a punch line in the last sentence. This states that the tendency for perfection present in everything can only be expressed in humans through a republican form of government. Even if this is only a temporary condition on the way to true morality , it is nevertheless inevitable.

In the introduction , Kant argues that the general history of mankind, although if one looks at a single point in time or at a single individual, it does not seem to behave according to rules, on the large scale it seems to have a goal and to be comfortable Let nature subordinate plan. Although every person can decide according to his free will , which Kant presupposes, what he does and whether he leaves control to his instincts or his reason , the sum of the individual events always behaves according to the intention of nature, even without the individual being aware of it be aware. Free will thus largely (statistically) follows the same lines. Individuals acted on their own, guided by interests, and thus in total lead their people in a way that they had not intended.

Here it becomes visible that Kant starts from an ordered, teleological worldview. Furthermore, the idea of entelechy remains present, which specifically means that man and human history at least have the potential for perfection.

  1. In the first sentence Kant explains that, according to the teleological theory of nature, all natural dispositions of man exist for the purpose of use and are intended to develop. Without this doctrine of nature there would be no guide to nature's intention.
  2. The second sentence shows that man can only reach the full potential of his reason empirically . Since the lifespan of an individual is limited, progress must be passed down from generation to generation. The further development is seen here by Kant in the context of the entire human race. The goal of human history must be thought of as the perfect expression of reason, since otherwise its existence has no purpose.
  3. In the third sentence Kant concludes from nature's endowment with reason and the free will derived from it, that he should not only follow his instinct but also make use of his intellect . In the end, man owes it to himself when, as a result of history, he has reached a state of full expression of reason, which is the goal of human history. The only strange thing is that those who have laboriously pushed for progress cannot enjoy the fruits of their efforts.
  4. In the fourth sentence it is written that the development of all natural faculties takes place through social antagonism . According to Kant, this antagonism is the "unsociable sociability" of man. The individual tendency towards socialization is opposed to the tendency to isolate oneself. According to Kant, this causes resistance, which drives people and thus demands their talents. In this way, nature prevents the harmony desired by man by causing discord . Through this ruse of nature man is forced to progress. For Kant this is an indication of the existence of a wise creator who is nature.
  5. In the fifth sentence Kant addresses the highest task for the nature of the human species, namely "the achievement of a civil society that generally administers the law " . For this a compulsion in the form of laws is necessary, since people in absolute freedom cannot coexist for long. Humans are therefore forced to develop a legal society. Kant goes on to say that all art and all culture are the fruits of unsociability, which he explained in the previous sentence.
  6. In the sixth sentence the philosopher explains that the problem mentioned above is the biggest and the longest. The regulation between freedom and its limits must be taken over by a "supreme lord" in the state. This is necessary to guide people in the right direction, to bring them closer to perfection and true morality. Because in addition to his sensible disposition, humans also have animal instincts which must be tamed and brought into harmony with the freedom of everyone. The problem with this is that this ruler is also human and therefore has animal instincts himself, which make it necessary for him to have a master over himself. This is how Kant expresses his conviction that people, because of their natural badness, would never find a form of government that is just for everyone. According to Kant, only approaching the idea of the perfect state is possible and the goal of nature.
  7. In the seventh sentence he puts forward the thesis that this principle can also be applied to several states. In a pervasive legal society, states would also have a legal relationship with one another (League of Nations). However, humanity will only find eternal peace once it has developed its morality.
  8. In the eighth sentence Kant shows that the purpose of history is the formation of the internal and external state constitution. Through the ongoing education of the citizens and rulers, he enters automatically. However, the curtailment of civil liberties would stunt this process.
  9. In the ninth sentence , the philosopher refers to the question he asked at the beginning of the question about the use of historical science for the course of history. He comes to the conclusion: the idea of ​​a history science with cosmopolitan intent is useful, assuming there is an intent of nature.

literature

  • Höffe, Otfried (ed.): Immanuel Kant: Writings on the philosophy of history. A cooperative commentary, De Gruyter Academy Research, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3050046839 .
  • Hoesch, Matthias: Reason and Providence. Secularized eschatology in Kant's philosophy of religion and history, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / Boston 2014, ISBN 978-3110351255 .
  • Kant, Immanuel: Idea for a general story with cosmopolitan intent. Complete new edition, LIWI Literatur- und Wissenschaftsverlag, Göttingen 2019, ISBN 978-3965420960 .
  • Rorty, Amélie O./Schmidt, James: Kant's Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Aim, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2009, ISBN 978-0521874632 .

Web links

Wikiquote: Idea for a general story with cosmopolitan intent  - quotations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Werner Flach: On Kant's historical-philosophical "Chiliasm". In: Karl-Heinz Lembeck, Karl Mertens, Ernst Wolfgang Orth (eds.): Phenomenological research, year 2005, Hamburg 2005, pp. 167–174.