German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) lived a rigidly structured life.
He rose at 4:55 in the morning, all year-round. His post-lecture daily walks started at 3:30 p.m. on the dot and, as he never varied his route, neighbors were said to set their clocks accordingly.
April 22 marked the 300th anniversary of his birth.
Of Kant’s famously abstruse works, the only one I have ever managed to read through is his essay titled “Toward Perpetual Peace.”
His view of the human race is pessimistic.
“War itself doesn’t need any causal explanation because it seems to be grafted onto human nature,” he stated, calling for means to keep human belligerence in check.
As a solution, Kant envisioned securing perpetual peace through an international federation of republics where sovereignty rests with the citizens.
He argued that if it was up to the people to decide whether to go to war, fight as soldiers and incur massive expenses as a result, they would naturally think twice before taking that big, dangerous gamble.
We have the United Nations today and yet wars by states such as Russia and Israel continue.
And when the Diet makes a decision, I doubt its ability to determine what is worth the risk and what isn’t.
The pursuit of peace is never easy.
Is there any hope at all? French author and poet Paul Valéry (1871–1945) wrote, “Like a man rowing a boat that floats on the tide, we enter the future facing the past.”
Oaring through a storm, all that the rower sees now are the raging waves that form the present reality. However, in the future behind him, a break in the clouds can be seen faintly.
Even though the realization of perpetual peace is infinitely elusive, Kant demanded that we keep striving for it.
So, we keep rowing.
--The Asahi Shimbun, April 23
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
VOX POPULI: Contemplating Kant’s vision of ‘perpetual peace’ for humanity
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23.04.2024
German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) lived a rigidly structured life.
He rose at 4:55 in the morning, all year-round. His post-lecture daily walks started at 3:30 p.m. on the dot and, as he never varied his route, neighbors were said to set their clocks accordingly.
April 22 marked the 300th anniversary of his birth.
Of Kant’s famously abstruse works, the only one I have ever managed to read through is his essay titled “Toward Perpetual Peace.”
His view of the human race is pessimistic.
“War........
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