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INDEPENDENCEASAKEYCONCEPTINKANT’SPOLITICALPHILOSOPHY
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bilityofdevisingjustlegislation.Independenceisoneofthemostinteresting
conceptsofKant’spoliticalphilosophy.ItisthekeystoneofhiscritiqueofHob-
besandprovidesthebasisfortheunderstandingofcosmopolitanism.Replacing
asitdoesthethirdconceptoffraternityintheFrenchRevolution’strinityof
liberty,equality,andfraternityitistheconceptthatrequiresmostexplanation.
28
28WhydoesKantshiftthegroundoftheFrenchcitizens’criticismofmonarchicalabsolut-
isminthisway?Althoughhedoesnotdirectlysayso,Kantmusthavefeltsomeuneasewiththe
notionoffraternityorbrotherhoodasthebasisofbindinghumankind.Giventoday’swelcome
acceptanceofequalitybetweenthesexes,itwouldbegoodtothinkthatKant’suneasewith
brotherhoodderivedfromthebiaswhichtheformulashowstowardsthemalesex.Unfortunately
wecannottakethistobeso.Kant’sotherstatementsabouttheroleofwomensuggestthatthis
wasnotthemaingroundforhisobjectiontotheidea.Ithinktheobjectionarisesmorefromthe
familialconnotationsoftheconceptofbrotherhood.BrotherhoodforKantrepresentstoointi-
matearelationshiptoindicatethesolidarityofthehumanrace.Therelationshipfromtheper-
spectiveofKant’spracticalphilosophywouldappeartobebothtoocloseandtoodistant.The
relationshipistoocloseinthatbrotherhoodisalovingandtolerantrelationship.Thesolidarity
ofbrotherhoodcanbeexpectedtotranscendbothlawandmorality.Oneisexpectedtolove
one’sbrotherseveniftheyhavedonewrongineitherthelegalormoralsense.Itisnotimplicit
inbrotherhoodthatonecriticisesandobjectstothewrongactionsofone’ssibling.Brothersmay
welloverlooktheirshortcomingsintheirencounters.Theirclosenessmightpreventthemfrom
censuringandpreventingmorallyandlegallyunacceptablebehaviour.Thereistoomuchtoler-
ancebuiltintotherelationshipoffamilymemberstomakeitintoamodelforhumanbehaviour
onaglobalscale.This,paradoxically,iswheretheexcessivedistanceoftheconceptofbrother-
hoodforKant’spurposesbecomesevident.Itistoodistantsinceitprovidestoogreatascopefor
radicalevil.Brotherhoodtranscendsbothpubliclawandthemorallaw.Thiswillnotdofor
Kantasapoliticalprinciple.Thisisthereasonwhy,Ithink,hedecidestoreplacefraternitywith
theconceptofindependence.
Incontrasttofraternitytheconceptofindependenceencompassesobediencebothtothemoral
lawandpubliclaw.Itdoessointhecomprehensivesensethattheindependentcitizenistoregard
himselfastheco-authorofthoselawsthatconstrainhim.Withtheideaofindependencethereisno
notionbuiltinofthepossiblenaturalharmonyofthehumanrace.Thenotionofthebrotherhoodof
mankindrepresentsadreamthatcansoeasily(asthehistoryofcommunismshows)turninto
anightmare.Thenotionofbrotherhoodallowstoomuchscopeforinterventionintheaffairsof
othersapparentlyintheirowninterests.Fraternitycanbeliberatinginsomecircumstancesbutthe
idealtakenonitsowncanallowthepossibilityofdespoticinterference.ForKantwecanonlybe
envisagedaslivinginharmonyontheplanetwhenwearesubjecttocivillawenforcedbyinde-
pendentstateagencies.Theconceptofindependencetiesinwiththepoliticalidealofrepublican-
ism.Theindependentcitizenchoosesthoserepresentativeswhomakethelawonhisbehalfand
thoselawsareenforcedbyanexecutivewhichisabsolutelyseparatefromthelawmakers.
