Kant and the Theory and Practice of International Right

by Georg Cavallar

Overview

This innovative study focuses on the Kantian theory of international relations, a subject which has frequently been either ignored or misunderstood. Kant was criticized by contemporaries who asserted that his political ideas were idealistic and impractical. He countered this accusation by evolving a political philosophy which formed a link between the theoretical doctrine of pure law and the actualities of the real world.

The author argues that Kant’s theory of international relations can be read as an attempt to bring reason and history together. Kant tries to apply the a priori principles of reason to history in general, and to the political conditions of the late eighteenth century in particular, and this volume examines the way in which he attempts to mediate between theory and practice.

In this stimulating and lucid work, Cavallar provides one of the first comprehensive examinations in English of Kant’s theory of international right.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786835529
Publisher:	University of Wales Press
Publication date:	07/15/2020
Series:	Political Philosophy Now
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Georg Cavallar is Universitätsdozent of Modern History at the Department of History, University of Vienna, Austria; he has published on Kant’s political philosophy, the history of international law, and the philosophy of cosmopolitanism.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction: Mediating Between Pure Reason and Practice 1

1 The Contemporary Context: Kant's Judgement on Frederick's Enlightened Absolutism 13

2 Kantian International Right: Background and Paradigm Shift 46

3 Judging War 65

4 Does Republicanism Promote Peace? 80

5 Non-intervention, Humanitarian Intervention and Failed States 99

6 Conflicts in Kant's Account of the Right to Go to War 113

7 The Unjust Enemy 123

8 Kant's Society of Nations: Free Federation or World Republic? 141

9 Moving Beyond Nationalism: Constitutional Patriotism and Cosmopolitan Enthusiasm in Kant's Philosophy 161

Conclusion: A Theory for our Times 177

Notes 187

Bibliography 247

Index 253

Editorial Reviews

"When the first edition of this book came out just over two decades ago it quickly became a must-read for anyone who was interested in Kant’s ideas about the theory and practice of international relations. This new edition brings it up to date, and adds material that will make it a necessary reference in the decades to come."

John Christian Laursen

"This is the definitive source on Kant’s international relations theory and it has played a significant role in informing my own thinking. Updated and expanded, this new edition adds considerable material to an already powerful first edition, including an expanded analysis of Kant’s practical politics, his thinking in response to his contemporaries, key political and legal methodological considerations, and how Kant might be best understood within modern global debates."

Garrett Wallace Brown

"Georg Cavallar’s new book is a skillful and sophisticated linking of Kant’s theory to humanitarian intervention, democracy and peace, cosmopolitanism and patriotism, among other topics. An original argument is refined by a serious and impressive engagement with two decades of debate framed by the book’s first appearance in 1999."

Antonio Franceschet

As such this is the most thorough account of Kant’s international political theory that I have read and helps to make sense of what is a notoriously problematic aspect of Kant’s practical philosophy.” –Political Studies

Political Studies