Since the dawn of liberalism in late 17th century, it played a great role in the transformation of socio-political aspects of human civilization. The western countries have benefited a lot from the revolutionary ideals of liberalism. For instance, the industrial revolution of the 18th century was the turning point in socio-economic history of Europe. The traditions of liberalism began after the protestant reformation and the fact cannot be ignored that liberal practice was not possible without reformation and without classical bourgeois epoch, which have strengthened the political focus on the very idea of individual freedom.
But today the tradition of liberalism is fading because of the intense political polarisation around the globe. In this regard, the Kantian ethics and tradition is worth remembering in order to understand the failure of liberalism.
Basically, Immanuel Kant used the liberal context to develop the ideas of universal history, in which he claims, “The problem of establishing a perfect civil constitution is depended upon the problems of law-governed relationship between the states.”
With this connotation, he proposed his theory of perpetual peace, which became the hallmark of liberal perspective in the 19th and 20th century. Through this theory, Kant attempted to establish the idea of rights and duties of the states for interaction at the global level. And, with this theory emerged a new ideal context of the international law, which was based on Kant’s idealist approach to political philosophy. Basically, Immanuel Kant attempted to introduce a new Copernican revolution into the political philosophy.
On the contrary, the whole context of the Kantian system is based on the sharp dichotomies because the Kantian concept of reason stands between flexibility and imaginative power. Moreover, with the dichotomic perspective, Kant perceived the very concept of reason in the domain of revolt. And, with this perspective, in the public discourse, Kant argues, “Politics has been a sorry history of misrule at home and of a vicious anarchy in the international relations.”
In contrast, Kant dreamed of building man’s capacity to cope rationally with natural challenge and stressed on the rationality because in the Kantian system, it was the sole way for lasting peace. Therefore, with latter presumption, he forwarded the idea of liberal democracy and liberal democratic institutions at home because he firmly believed that only open mindedness and reason can interpret the natural phenomenon.
Throughout the 19th and 20th century, Kant’s theory of perpetual peace was taken as the standard for immediate political action and lasting peace in the European political domain. Moreover, the concept of peace-loving nations and the enforcement of peace also came out of Kant’s peace theory. With this unique tradition in political philosophy, Kant gave birth to the moral pacifist tract that hassles on the formation of civilian militias for defence instead of standing armies.
Published in Daily Times, November 16th 2018.