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HowardWilliams
right,istheactofapublicwill,fromwhichallrightproceedsandwhichmust
notthereforebeabletodoaninjusticetoanyone.”
7ThusfarKantdoesnot
startlinglydivergefromHobbes.ButthenKantturnstheHobbesianformulaof
thesubordinationofthepeopletothesovereignbodyonitshead.Becausewe
haveallunconditionallytoobeythesovereign,Hobbesmakesthesovereign’s
lawstheresponsibilitysolelyofthesovereignbody,butwithKantthesovereign
bodyismadetocarryoutthelawsoftheunitedwillofthepeople.Forapublic
lawrightfullytocomeintoexistencerequires“nootherwillthanthatofthe
entirepeople.”
8Thebodythatmakesthelawscannotbetheoneindividual,as
withHobbes,thepeoplethatmakeupthebodyhavetocomefromtheentire
nation.Thesovereignbodymustconceiveitselfasalwaysanswerabletothe
public,whichitrepresents.Theindividualswhomakeupthesovereignbody
canbereplacedinaconstitutionalmanner–throughelection–iftheyfailto
meettherequirementsoftheirpost.
“Thusnoparticularwillcanmakethelawsforacommonwealth.”
9Thelaws
havetobemadebytheunitedwillofthepeople.Hereeveryonedecidesabout
everyoneandsoeachandeveryonedecidesabouthimselfaswell.
10Icansee
thelawasemanatingfrommyownwill.HereKantrejectsHobbes’stheoryof
authorisation.WithHobbessovereigntyiscreatedbyindividualsgivinguptheir
independence(ornaturalfreedomandequality)andhandingovertoanother
individualorbodiesofindividualstheirfreedomtodeliberateonmattersof
publicconcern.NosuchsymbolichandingoveroralienationoccursinKant’s
conceptionofpoliticalauthorityinacivilsociety.SovereignauthoritywithKant
emergesfromourcollectivewilltosustainpeaceandorderandwearetounder-
standourselvesasalwaysbelongingtothatcollectivewillevenifitissustained
byinstitutionsofwhichwearenotdirectlypartandmaintainedbyindividuals
wehavenotdirectlychosen.Wecannotregardourselvesashavinggivenupour
interestandinvolvementinmattersofpublicconcern.Thesovereignshouldnot
bedepictedsolelyasanother.Itisanotherofwhichweascitizensarepart.The
mostobviouswayofrealisingthisideaofparticipationinsovereignpoweris
throughvotinginelectionsforourrepresentativeswhomakethelaw.InKant’s
dayveryfewstateshadreachedthisstage,butforhimthisisnojustificationfor
regardingsovereignpowerasalientousasordinarysubjects.Wherethosewho
makethelawarenotthepeople’srepresentativestheyshouldnonethelessbe
regardedinprincipleassuch.Andwhereabsolutemonarchsdecidewhatistobe
law,perhapsinconsultationwiththecertainclassesandgroupsofpeople,they
haveadutytoregardthemselvesasthepeople’srepresentatives.Theyareunder
anobligationtoreformthepoliticalorderintheirstatetothepointwherethe
people’srepresentativesinfactmakethelaw.Kantrequiresthosewhomay
historicallyenjoysuchabsoluteauthoritytoregardtheirsovereignroleasprovi-
7Kant,WerkeVIII,p.294;Kant’sPoliticalWritings,p.77.
8Ibidem.
9Kant,WerkeVIII,p.295;Kant’sPoliticalWritings,p.77.
10Ibidem.
