According to Immanuel Kant, perpetual peace is the “highest political good”, while war is the source of the “greatest evils that oppress civilized nations.” Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has indeed created suffering for many. It also violated Kant’s principle that “No state shall forcibly interfere in the constitution and government of another state” (Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch, 1795). The war has also affected some surprising areas – even the world of philosophy. In particular it has created some tough dilemmas for Kant societies around the world.
The renowned philosopher was born three hundred years ago, on April 22, 1724, in Königsberg, a port city not far from the Baltic Sea, which was then a major city in East Prussia. Carved up by the canals of the Pregel River, the city was famous for its seven bridges, which gave rise to Euler’s math problem the ‘Seven Bridges of Königsberg’: is it possible to take a walk in which you cross all seven bridges of the city just once and arrive back where you started? (Euler: No.) The city is now called Kaliningrad, and is part of Russia, yet even today shops throughout Kaliningrad are filled with merch and trinkets in Kant’s likeness. He is a valuable symbol of the city.
この記事は Philosophy Now の April / May 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Philosophy Now の April / May 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
The Two Dennises
Hannah Mortimer observes a close encounter of the same kind.
Heraclitus (c.500 BC)
Harry Keith lets flow a stream of ideas about permanence and change.
Does the Cosmos Have a Purpose?
Raymond Tallis argues intently against universal intention.
Is Driving Fossil-Fuelled Cars Immoral?
Rufus Duits asks when we can justify driving our carbon contributors.
Abelard & Carneades Yes & No
Frank Breslin says 'yes and no' to presenting both sides of an argument.
Frankl & Sartre in Search of Meaning
Georgia Arkell compares logotherapy and atheistic existentialism.
Luce Irigaray
Luce Irigaray, now ninety-two years old, was, among many other things, one of the most impactful feminists of the 1970s liberation movements - before she was marginalised, then ostracised, from the francophone intellectual sphere.
Significance
Ruben David Azevedo tells us why, in a limitless universe, we’re not insignificant.
The Present Is Not All There Is To Happiness
Rob Glacier says don’t just live in the now.
Philosophers Exploring The Good Life
Jim Mepham quests with philosophers to discover what makes a life good.