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INDEPENDENCEASAKEYCONCEPTINKANT’SPOLITICALPHILOSOPHY
31
sionaluntilsuchtimeasitprovespossibletointroducepeacefullyarepublican
system.
Kantrejectstheideaofindividualsconferringalltheirpowerandstrengthon
anyonepersonoranyassembly.Heparticularlyrejectstheideaoftransferringall
powerandstrengthtooneperson.Whatindividualshavetodoinsteadistosee
themselvesasformingacommonwillwhichasHobbesputit“mayreduceall
theirwills,bypluralityofvoices,untoonewill.”
11Thepossibilityofyourbecom-
inganindependentcitizenistiedupwiththeideaofcreatingasovereignpower.
Sonolossofpersonalitycanoccurthroughtheformationofacommonwill.As
Kantseesit,thesovereignpowerbothbearsyourpersonandpreservesthepossi-
bilityofyourindependenceasacitizen.Weallsubmitourwillsandourjudge-
mentinmattersofpublicconcerntothewillandjudgementofthesovereign,but
asitisweourselvesthatformthesovereignthiscannotbeconsideredasaloss.
KantwouldagreewithHobbesthat“thisismorethanconsent,orconcord;itisa
realunityofthemallinoneandthesameperson”
12butthisrealunitydoesnot
extinguishourindependence.Ourabilitytocreatethis“realunity”isforKantthe
proofofourindependence.Ourreasonrequiresthattoenjoyfreedomandequality
weneedtocreatealaw-makingcommonauthoritywhichweallobeyandrespect,
whichlegislatesfairlyandenablesthelawtobeenforcedimpartially.Inregarding
ourselvesasunitedtogethertocreatethisbodywedemonstrateourmaturityand
freedom.ThisisforKanttheessenceofthesocialcontract.
AsKantseesit,everyonemustagreeinprinciplethatthelaw-makingbody
ofthesocietyisconstitutedbytheunitedwillofall.Althoughinpracticethisis
verydifficulttoattainwestillapproximatetoitbyassumingthattheindividuals
weelecttomakethelawforuswhentheypassalawbymajorityvotearere-
flectingtheunanimousviewofusall.Thisassumptionistheultimatebasison
whichacivilconstitutionisformed.“This,then,isanoriginalcontractbymeans
ofwhichacivilandthuscompletelylawfulconstitutionandcommonwealthcan
alonebeestablished.Butweneedbynomeansassumethatthiscontract,based
onacoalitionofwillsofallprivateindividualsinanationtoformacommon,
publicwillforthepurposesofrightfullegislation,actuallyexistsasafact,forit
cannotpossiblybeso.Suchanassumptionwouldmeanthatwewouldfirsthave
toprovefromhistorythatsomenation,whoserightsandobligationshavebeen
passeddowntous,didinfactperformsuchanact,andhandeddownsome
authenticrecordorlegalinstrument,orallyorinwriting,beforewecouldregard
ourselvesasboundbyapre-existingcivilcondition.Ratheritisamereideaof
Reasonwhichhoweverhasitsundoubted(practical)reality,namelytobindeach
lawmakerthathegiveshislawsinsuchawaythattheycanhavearisenfrom
theunitedwillofawholepeople,andregardseachsubject,insofarashewants
tobeacitizen,asthoughtheyhadagreedtogethertosuchawill.Forthis“isthe
touchstoneofthejusticeofeachpubliclaw.”
13
11Hobbes,Leviathan,p.120.
12Ibidem.
13Kant,WerkeVIII,p.297;Kant’sPoliticalWritings,p.79(Translationvaries).
