Essays on Kant’s Political Philosophy

As a political philosopher, Kant has until recently been
overshadowed by his compatriots Hegel and Marx. With his
strong defense of the rights of the person and his deep
insight into the strengths and weaknesses of modern society
Kant, possibly more than any other political thinker,
anticipated the problems of the late twentieth century.
Kant’s political philosophy, wedded as it is to rights,
reform and gradual progress, is emerging from the shadows
cast by Hegelian and Marxist thinking about the state. In this volume, thirteen distinguished contributors from the
United States, Canada, Britain, and Germany cast light on
important aspects of Kant’s liberal thinking. Key topics
covered include Kant’s liberal reformism, his relation with
Hegel, his attitude to women, the use of reason, revolution,
Kant’s optimism and his moral and legal rigorism.

Howard Williams is a reader in political theory in the
Department of International Politics, University College of
Wales, Aberystwyth. His previous publications include
Kant’s Political Philosophy, Concepts of
Ideology, and Hegel, Heraclitus, and Marx’s
Dialectic.