Kantian perspectives on democratic peace: alternatives to Doyle

Abstract

As for the philosophers, they make imaginary laws for imaginary commonwealths, and their discourses are as the stars, which give little light, because they are so high.Francis BaconThe article argues that Doyle's interpretation of Kant's first definitive article in Perpetual Peace is mistaken. I distinguish between Kant's pragmatic argument (his democratic peace proposition) and his a priori, or transcendental claim. Both are distinct from Doyle's approach which emphasizes institutional restraint and shared cultural norms. Doyle must be criticized for taking Kant's transcendental claims as statements that can be verified empirically. I propose that we drop Doyle's juxtaposition of liberal and illiberal as a fallacy of essentialism. Kant's distinction between republican and despotic is a methodological abstraction belonging to ideal theory (the system of rights). Kantian non-ideal theory (his political philosophy) sees the distinction among states as a matter of degree rather than kind. Kant favours an inclusive global federation encompassing liberal as well as non-liberal states, rather than an exclusive federation and ‘separate peace’ of liberal states.

Is normative power cosmopolitan? Rethinking European unity, norm diffusion, and international political theory

“…To this effect, Kant stressed that the ‘natural antagonism between men gives them reason to seek concord which can serve as the basis for social order and political institutions; this genesis of order takes place precisely through discord’ (as quoted in Bartelson, 1995: 268). It is in this sense that Kant proposed the renowned idea of a ‘pacific union’ as a rational instrument to manage – rather than eliminate – discords among and between actors of different normative orientations and to seek the coexistence of different subjectivities (Cavallar, 2001; Franceschet, 2001; Hurrell, 1990: 192–193; Lynch, 1994; Negretto, 1993; Waldron, 2000: 240–241). For instance, Kant’s Perpetual Peace explicitly proclaimed that ‘the Guarantee of a Perpetual Peace’ hinged on lively competition among actors with different values, religions, traditions, and languages: The idea of international right presupposes the separate existence of many independent adjoining states.…”

The duty to oppose violence: humanitarian intervention as a question for political philosophy

“…As a consequence, Kant did not allow any exceptions to the principle established in the Fifth Preliminary Article.' 62 It must be noted, however, that Kant's Fifth Preliminary Article is preliminary and therefore provisional. Contra Wilkins and Cavallar, this is not a moral point but one dictated by the necessities of bringing states gradually out of the condition of nature into a lawful condition.…”

Kant's popular sovereignty and cosmopolitanism

“…I think that in these latter discussions the inclusion of Kant is totally inadequate, basically because Kant's republic is not at all equivalent to 20th century Western democracies. For a critique of the illegitimate appropriation of Kant's image by liberals in these latter debates, see Cavallar (2001); Maus (1998); Vaha (2018). The latter convincingly refutes the notion that Kant was a liberal exclusionist.…”