Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
INDEPENDENCEASAKEYCONCEPTINKANT’SPOLITICALPHILOSOPHY
35
Frenchideaofuniversalbrotherhoodastoodangerousandoverpowering.But
heseemsnottoabandonitentirely.Itappearsforhimthatithasitsrational
essenceintheideaofcosmopolitanism.Althoughthereisanelementofironyin
thetitleofhislateressayPerpetualPeaceKantisattractedbytheideaofworld-
wideharmony;hegenuinelybelievesinthemoralrealityoftheproject.Thiswe
canseeinthePreparatoryWorktotheCommonSayingwhereheidentifies
cosmopolitanismwiththe“goodintheworld(DasGuteinderWelt).”
17Healso
separatestheGermantermforcosmopolitan(Weltbürger)intoitsconstituent
parts“world”(Welt)and“citizen”(Bürger)toemphasisethattheunitythat
comesaboutintheformula“liberty,equalityandfraternity”shouldbeseenas
anunityamongstindependentcitizens.
KanthereseemstowanttoemptytheFrenchrevolutionarynotionofbroth-
erlysolidarityofanyofitscollectivistconnotations.Kantindeedwantsusto
thinktogetherbutnottothinktogetherthesame.Thecommonalityshouldnotin
hisviewderivefromconsanguinitybutfromasharedself-sufficiency.Thein-
dependentcitizenhelpsshapethelawsofhisstatethroughhisrepresentatives.
Hemayevenbeoneofthoserepresentativeswhomakesthoselawsthatwe
regardasourown.Theseparticipantsinlawmakingarethecommonauthorsof
theirpublicworld.Theysharethischaracteristicwithindependentcitizensof
otherstates.ThisisthefoundationofcosmopolitanismforKant.Independence
withhimisnotwhatitseems.Thenotionwouldseemtosetindividualsapart
fromeachotherandpossiblyinconflict.Independentpeoplearenotoriously
wilfulandnon-co-operative.ButthisisnothowKantseesit.Astheindependent
citizenderiveshisindependencefromaresponsibilitytoshapethelawsofhis
societyheisinprincipleaccommodatingandhonourable.InHobbes’sterms,
theindependentcitizenisthekindofpersonwhocanbereliedupontoobserve
naturallaws.
ThisiswhatKantappearstomeanwhenhesaysfraternityinhissenseof
“cosmopolitanunity”“internallypresupposesindependencewithoutcontract.”
18
IncontrasttoHobbeswhoonlyseekspeacewithinstatesthroughoursubjection
tothepowerofthesovereign,andsoaltogetherabandonsourindependence,
Kantseekspeacenotonlywithinstatesbutalsoamongststatesonthebasisof
ourindependence.AndunliketheFrenchrevolutionarieswhosoughttobring
aboutworldharmonybytheimpositionofacollectivebrotherhoodcreatingone
familyofmankind,Kantattemptstobringaboutworldharmonyinthecivil
contextofourindependentcitizenship.WhatisnotableaboutKant’svisionof
world-wideharmonyhereisthatitisbasedonavoluntaryarrangement.World
peacecannotbeinstitutedfromabove.Thisisinsharpcontrastwithdomestic
orderwhichhistoricallycomesintobeingthrough“despoticoccupation.”
19The
socialcontractwithinthestatecannotforKantbeavoluntaryarrangement
alone.Sincenolawcomesintoexistencewithoutthepriorcreationofasover-
17Kant,WerkeXXIII,p.140.
18Kant,WerkeXXIII,p.139.
19Kant,WerkeXXIII,p.141.
