Some Kantian reflections on the War in Ukraine

Williams, Howard 2023. Some Kantian reflections on the War in Ukraine. Collingwood and British Idealism Studies 29 (1) , pp. 95-116. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Like many of the British idealists, Immanuel Kant paid close attention to the main events of his day. The ability to address the most practical issues faced by humankind represented for him a key dimension of philosophy. Both the morality and politics of war were a vital test for the philosopher who aspired to excel in their task. In this vein the article addresses a pressing issue of our time: the war in Ukraine. It does so by bringing to bear the conclusions of Kant's 1795 short book Toward Perpetual Peace upon the war in central Europe which broke out in February 2022. Unlike many other commentators who invoke Kant in this context, the focus of this presentation is on the six preliminary articles rather than the better known three definitive articles which make up Kant's work. These six articles focus on the preparatory conditions which have to be met for a lasting peace to be achieved. They deal with regulating the aims of the warring parties; the need for nations to be able to assert their identity; the threat posed by standing armies and the necessity to place them more under civilian control; the need for state deficit budgeting to be better controlled and not used for military purposes; the requirement that states should not interfere in the internal constitutions of other states; and the manner in which wars, should they be fought, might be humanely conducted. The contrast between Kant's principles for a lasting peace and the ongoing challenges posed by war in central Europe proves both fascinating and instructive.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Cardiff Law & Politics
Publisher:	Imprint Academic
ISSN:	1744-9413
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	8 February 2024
Date of Acceptance:	2 January 2024
Last Modified:	10 Nov 2024 13:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/166031

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