Idealizing History. A Critical Assessment of Kant’s Historiography in Idea for a Universal History

Authors

  • Nik van Brink Leiden University

Abstract

This essay analyzes Kant’s conception of historiography in Idee zu einer allgemeinen Geschichte in weltbürgerlicher Absicht (henceforth; IAG). In IAG, Kant presents history as the necessary progression of the human race towards the full development of its rational- and moral capacities, in accordance with a hidden plan of nature, which can only be realized after the establishment of a universal cosmopolitan condition. However, because Kant is unclear how moral and historical progress is possible, it remains unclear how to interpret his arguments and, consequently, how to write a history in line with IAG. In this essay, I attempt to answer this question by interpreting IAG in line with another Kantian text, Was ist Aufklärung? This analysis will not only show Kant’s arguments in IAG to be inconsistent, but moreover that his proposal for a universal history is of unconvincing utility.

References

Yovel, Yirmiahu. Kant and the Philosophy of History. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1980). Anderson, R.E. Social impacts of computing: Codes of professional ethics. Social Science Computing Review 10, 2 (1992), 453-469.

Kleingeld, Paulien. Kant, History and the Idea of Moral Development. History of Philosophy Quarterly, Vol. 16, No. 1 (1999), 59-80.

Pinkard, Terry. Norms, facts, and the Philosophy of History. In: Rorty, Amélie oksenberg and Schmidt, James (ed.). Kant's' Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Aim': A Critical Guide. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009), 216-231.

Kant, Immanuel. Idee zu einer allgemeinen Geschichte in Weltbürgerlicher Absicht. Berliner Monatsschrift, No.11(1784).

Kant, Immanuel. (1784). Beantwortung der Frage: Was ist Aufklärung? Berliner Monatsschrift, No. 12 (1784), 481-49.

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Published

2015-11-20

How to Cite

van Brink, N. (2015). Idealizing History. A Critical Assessment of Kant’s Historiography in Idea for a Universal History. Student Undergraduate Research E-Journal!, 1. Retrieved from https://journals.open.tudelft.nl/sure/article/view/1069

Issue

Vol. 1 (2015): Student Research Conference 2015

Section

Economics & Social Sciences

License

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