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Critical examination of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant
Critical examination of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant
Critical examination of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant
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Immanuel Kant on Perpetual Peace
Peace has always been a topic of discussion among international relations philosophers. Today, nation-states hold ties with each other through social and economic spectrums. In the social spectrum ties can be held through language, religion, ethnicity, etc. In the economic spectrum, ties can be held through the market. While these spheres can bring nation-states together, it can also cause them to fall apart. It is because of the intricacy behind establishing global peace that discussions about peace seem to be perpetual.
German Philosopher, Immanuel Kant presents an interesting approach to perpetual peace. Surely, considering the era in which Perpetual Peace was written, Kant’s ideas were progressive and innovative. Kant’s ideas have helped shaped and modeled some polities that we see in the world today. Unfortunately for Kant’s methodology, the world is in a hegemonic state that is ruled by powerful states. This hegemony has lead to foreign disagreement and conflict among actors, which produces a state of war among states and non-state actors (terrorist). This constant state of war makes
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In essence, without the consent of the people, there is no social contract with the new sovereignty and therefore that sovereignty has no legitimacy to rule. For the most part, the essence of this article is practiced today. It appears that a stable geopolitical map was important for Kant; which was difficult to achieve during his time as Europe’s geography was ever changing. Additionally, to this article Kant adds that foreign troops should not be hired to fight a war against a foreign nation “for the subjects are in this way used and abused at will as personal
War is the means to many ends. The ends of ruthless dictators, of land disputes, and lives – each play its part in the reasoning for war. War is controllable. It can be avoided; however, once it begins, the bat...
Gene the main character returns to his boarding school, Devon, fifteen years after he graduated. First he visits a flight of marble stairs, then he visits a tree by the river which brings back memories of his time at the school. Gene continues to tell of this time, tells that he was 16 living with his good friend Phineas. It is in the early 1940’s so World War II is a big topic in the story.
The purpose of this essay is to inform on the similarities and differences between systemic and domestic causes of war. According to World Politics by Jeffry Frieden, David Lake, and Kenneth Schultz, systemic causes deal with states that are unitary actors and their interactions with one another. It can deal with a state’s position within international organizations and also their relationships with other states. In contract, domestic causes of war pertain specifically to what goes on internally and factors within a state that may lead to war. Wars that occur between two or more states due to systemic and domestic causes are referred to as interstate wars.
Philosophy is one’s oxygen. Its ubiquitous presence is continuously breathed in and vital to survival, yet its existence often goes unnoticed or is completely forgotten. Prussian philosopher Immanuel Kant was one of the many trees depositing this indispensable system of beliefs into the air. Philosophy is present in all aspects of society, no matter how prominent it may be. As Kant was a product of the Scientific Revolution in Europe, the use of reason was an underlying component in the entirety of his ideas. One of his main principles was that most human knowledge is derived from experience, but one also may rely on instinct to know about something before experiencing it. He also stated that an action is considered moral based on the motive behind it, not the action itself. Kant strongly believed that reason should dictate goodness and badness (McKay, 537). His philosophies are just as present in works of fiction as they are in reality. This is exemplified by Lord of the Flies, a fiction novel written by William Golding. The novel strongly focuses on the origins of evil, as well as ethics, specifically man’s treatment of animals and those around him. Kant’s philosophy is embedded in the thoughts and actions of Piggy, Ralph, Jack, and Simon throughout the novel. Kant’s beliefs also slither into “Snake,” a poem by D.H. Lawrence, focusing on the tainting of the pure human mind by societal pressures and injustices. Overall, both the poet in “Snake” and Piggy, Ralph, Jack, and Simon in Lord of the Flies showcase Immanuel Kant’s theories on ethics, reasoning, and nature.
which infers working towards a goal in harmony. The Maastricht Treaty sounds like an ideal proposal on paper, but in reality it can't work. In order to adopt the treaty several countries will have to make sacrifices. The sacrificial. Nobody likes to make sacrifices.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "The State of War" elegantly raises a model for confederative peace among the states of Europe, and then succinctly explains its impossibility. Rousseau very systematically lays out the benefits of such a "perpetual peace" through arguments based only in a realism of pure self-interest, and then very elegantly and powerfully turns the inertia of the self-interest machinery against the same to explain why it can never come to be. However, this final step may be a bit too far; in his academic zeal for the simple, I will argue that he has overlooked the real, or at least ignored the possible. His conclusion may be appealingly reasoned, but it is still insupportable.
Neo-realism and Liberalism both provide adequate theories in explaining the causes of war, yet Neo-realist ideals on the structural level and states being unitary actors in order to build security, conclude that Neo-realist states act on behalf of their own self interest. The lack of collaboration with other states and balance of power among them presents a reasonable explanation on the causes of war.
People’s ideas and assumptions about world politics shape and construct the theories that help explain world conflicts and events. These assumptions can be classified into various known theoretical perspectives; the most dominant is political realism. Political realism is the most common theoretical approach when it is in means of foreign policy and international issues. It is known as “realpolitik” and emphasis that the most important actor in global politics is the state, which pursues self-interests, security, and growing power (Ray and Kaarbo 3). Realists generally suggest that interstate cooperation is severely limited by each state’s need to guarantee its own security in a global condition of anarchy. Political realist view international politics as a struggle for power dominated by organized violence, “All history shows that nations active in international politics are continuously preparing for, actively involved in, or recovering from organized violence in the form of war” (Kegley 94). The downside of the political realist perspective is that their emphasis on power and self-interest is their skepticism regarding the relevance of ethical norms to relations among states.
If we are not at war, we must be at peace” (Vogt, 2013). This quote suggest that war is that common in modern society and that the definition of peace is when the world absent from war. It is evident that without war there will be peace, but the promotion of peace in the perspective of CST is much more than the absence of war. It should be about striving towards something more positive.
The power of the state to act as a sovereign is continually being challenged by forces such as globalisation, terrorism and regionalism and the continued existence of a sovereign nation-state lies in its effectiveness as an actor and its ability to be an actor in the international community is dependent upon the power structure of the international arena.
Dominique Heath Professor Bukowski IS 250-04 May 12, 2015 Relevant Utopia Compared to the nonexistent international system of the past to the progressing and developing international system of the present, we have made a huge progress towards peace. It took two wars, a proxy-war, and countless genocide, but we are currently on our way towards establishing international peace, but of course we still have more progressing to do, especially in addressing international and even domestic conflict. The current state and nature of the international systems is characterized as both conflict and cooperation of advanced nations. To further elaborate, World War I allowed the United States to grow as a nation and be recognized on a global scale.
How do the terms or implementation of treaties determine peace or conflict decades later? Efforts to build a just and lasting peace are complicated not only because past grievances must be addressed, but future interests must be anticipated-even when such future interests were not identified as the cause of war in the first place. Edward Teller, discussing the Manhattan Project, observed, "No endeavor which is worthwhile is simple in prospect; if it is right, it will be simple in retrospect."2 Only if a nation perceives that continuing observance of the treaty will sustain the state over a long period of time and in changing circumstances, the peace and security promised by the treaty will endure. Machiavelli observed that ". . . fear of loss of the State by a prince or republic will overcome both gratitude and treaties."3
Whenever world politics is mentioned, the state that appears to be at the apex of affairs is the United States of America, although some will argue that it isn’t. It is paramount we know that the international system is shaped by certain defining events that has lead to some significant changes, particularly those connected with different chapters of violence. Certainly, the world wars of the twentieth century and the more recent war on terror must be included as defining moments. The warning of brute force on a potentially large scale also highlights the vigorousness of the cold war period, which dominated world politics within an interval of four decades. The practice of international relations (IR) was introduced out of a need to discuss the causes of war and the different conditions for calm in the wake of the first world war, and it is relevant we know that this has remained a crucial focus ever since. However, violence is not the only factor capable of causing interruption in the international system. Economic elements also have a remarkable impact. The great depression that happened in the 1920s, and the global financial crises of the contemporary period can be used as examples. Another concurrent problem concerns the environment, with the human climate being one among different number of important concerns for the continuing future of humankind and the planet in general.
We will always have conflict, and people like the United States might just start a war and get different countries involved. I do think we can get a good understanding of it with social movements and large groups focused on a specific issue, just like Galtung would say. I also believe that Kant had the right idea of saying “War is something made by humans.” Kant’s perspective is totally right because with conflict, comes war. Webel talks about war bringing peace after all is done, but I don’t tend to believe this because when someone let’s say loses at something, they want to go at it again to win and they will try to win with any possible mean. This can be very violent and suggests the opposite of peace. I do agree that peace can’t be perfect because even if I believe we should have the control and government shouldn’t, we are humans and we make mistakes sometimes or let our emotions get the best of us. I feel that if we as a whole actually try to become pacifist’s, peace can start. I’m not saying that we will have 100% peace, I’m just saying it’s a really good start. Gandhi promotes nonviolence and by this, peace can start to form, which is the way we should be
... is no solution for world peace, there are many proposed ideas, and plans to accomplish it, with some better than others. Currently our world faces daily wars, murders, and devastations at the hands of peace keepers killing to promote peace. Immanuel Kant’s proposed plan for peace found in his paper, Perpetual Peace, shines a different perspective on the communications of the human race, and offers a thorough two stage plan to achieve world peace. There will always be a search for peace, and until society learns to work together, there will always be war over territory, and supremacy. The common good has fallen out of the sights of many and may never be regained, but perhaps the reason for social unjust and the lack of peace is because there is no common good amongst us, and until the meaning of life is revealed, there will never be a common good amongst all humans.