Kant and the Practical Man

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-156
Author(s):  
Carsten Fogh Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
Practical Reason ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Alternative Interpretation ◽  
Moral Experience ◽  
Political Practice ◽  
Perpetual Peace ◽  
The Common

The Appendix to Kant’s Toward Perpetual Peace is commonly viewed as an explication of the systematic relations between political practice and normative political theory. This paper provides an alternative interpretation of Kant’s main aim in the Appendix which is to provide an argument against the so-called “practical man.” The practical man believes that human nature precludes normative political ideals from ever playing a significant role within political practice. Drawing on the 1793 text “On the common saying: That may be correct in theory, but is of no use in practice,” the paper argues that Kant’s argument against the practical man is based on a proto-phenomenological analysis of moral experience. The practical man’s attempt to describe political practice in purely non-normative terms is, Kant believes, necessarily self-undermining because it denies one of the most basic aspects of human life; the inherent and inescapable normativity of practical reason.

scholarly journals The change in the concept of virtue during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (47) ◽  
pp. 62-69
Author(s):  
Yuliia Rybinska ◽  
Oleksandra Loshenko ◽  
Anton Kurapov ◽  
Taisiia Ponochovna-Rysak ◽  
Yuliia Kholmakova
Keyword(s):  
Moral Responsibility ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Human Values ◽  
Moral Experience ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Moral Choice ◽  
The Common Good ◽  
The Common

The purpose of the article is to cover the change in the concept of virtue during the COVID-19 pandemic, show its connection with human values and ethics. Virtue is the highest spiritual quality of a person. The main virtues include wisdom, courage, justice, moderation, responsiveness, loyalty, modesty, generosity and many others that affect all aspects of human life. Despite the recognized value of virtue as a system of moral guidelines, its concept is fraught with disputes about whether it is really generally valid, as well as about the problem of the effectiveness of virtue as a universal guideline and criterion for moral choice and its relevance in modern moral experience. This article argues that the most significant shift in the concept of virtue during the pandemic was the rethinking and increased awareness of the importance of such virtues as solidarity and moral responsibility, as well as aspects of relationships with people such as kindness, compassion, and empathy. It is proved that the concept of virtue has moved from a question of choice to the category of necessity, the most important guideline and guarantee of the common good.

Russia, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the issue of restoration of permanent diplomatic missions at the end of 1680s

2020 ◽  
pp. 67-87
Author(s):  
Nikоlay E. Domrachev ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
17Th Century ◽  
Diplomatic Relations ◽  
Perpetual Peace ◽  
External Threat ◽  
The Common ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
The Government

In the last third of the 17th century, the diplomatic relations between Muscovy and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were significantly modernized. The countries exchanged permanent diplomatic representatives called “residents” by the contemporaries. This process was connected to the increase in contacts between the two countries facing the Ottoman offensive in East and Central Europe. But the common external threat did not lead to the end of historical tensions between Muscovy and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that was reflected in the fate of the permanent missions. The latter were eliminated in 1677. Only after the Treaty of Perpetual Peace (1686) conditions were created to resume the activities of the residents. Meanwhile, the inner circle of Jan III Sobieski and the government of the Prince Vasiliy V. Golitsyn had different views of the functions and goals of diplomatic representatives. A significant role in resuming the activities of the “residencies” played the mutual disbelief of the establishment of both countries and their wish to control the main actions of the ally.

Inadvisable Concession: Kant’s Critique of the Political Philosophy of Christian Garve

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-76
Author(s):  
Andrey S. Zilber
Keyword(s):  
Political Stability ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Detailed Comparison ◽  
Alternative Interpretation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Perpetual Peace ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Common ◽  
Political Decisions

The starting point of my study is Kant’s remark to the effect that Garve in his treatise on the connection between morality and politics presents arguments in defence of unjust principles. Recognition of these principles is, according to Kant, an inadvisable concession to those who are inclined to abuse it. I interpret this judgement by making a detailed comparison of the texts of the two treatises. I demonstrate that Garve’s work is an eclectic attempt to combine in one concept the lessons of historical experience with the ideas drawn from British empiricism and German rationalism. These ideas were criticised by Kant in his “critical” period. There is a consensus among researchers that Garve condoned the expansionist policy of Frederick II of Prussia, totally denied that legality in international relations was possible and in general deserved the reputation of an (ultra-)conservative. From that point of view the key values for Garve were the security and well-being of the state. I offer an alternative interpretation of Garve’s position because I believe that the value of political stability plays an important role in it. Such an interpretation makes it possible to treat Garve’s narrative as it was assessed by Kant, i.e. as a concession to the common principles of political practice as a result of a failure to find the guiding theory. My study has established that the role of Garve’s work in the writing of Kant’s treatise Toward Perpetual Peace was more significant than Kant’s own words suggest. Besides, I show that it was under Garve’s influence that Kant turned to the problem of excessive complexity of the principles involved in the search for concrete political decisions. Garve obviously laments this complexity and yet makes these principles still more complex. Kant offers a simpler solution of the problem on the basis of his theory of morals and right.

DHAMMONG : A RAIN RITUAL IN MADURA (A STUDY ON ITS HISTORY, FUNCTION, AND HISTOR ORY SIMBOLIC MEANING)

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-227
Author(s):  
Nor Hasan ◽  
Edi Susanto
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Time Sequence ◽  
Symbolic Meaning ◽  
Human Relations ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Younger Generation

This article attempted to trace the existence of Dhâmmong tradition in the following scopes, namely: (1) Madurese perception against Dhâmmong , (2) the function and symbolic meaning of Dhâmmong in human life, and (3) the efforts of the Madurese community to preserve the Dhâmmong tradition. Through a descriptive phenomenological analysis, this study revealed that Dhâmmong is a hereditary tradition carried out by the Madurese community, it is urged by the community’s anxiety caused by the long dry season (némor lanjheng). Dhâmmong functionsas a means for salametan, paying respect for the ancestors, strengthening human relations (silaturrahim ), Bhek Rembhek, and nguri berkah (the fertility of the earth). The offerings and mouth-music by imitating the sounds of animals represent a strong desire and wishof the community for the immediate rainfall that could pour out blessings for the community. Hence, the community’s efforts to preserve Dhâmmong are: (1) introducing and involving the younger generation in the ritual, and (2) setting and changing the time sequence of Dhâmmong implementation from night to daytime.

What Theology Should and Should Not Learn from the Social Sciences About the Common Good

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary L. Hirschfeld
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Social Thought ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Human Flourishing ◽  
Catholic Social Thought ◽  
The Common Good ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Common

There are two ways to answer the question, What can Catholic social thought learn from the social sciences about the common good? A more modern form of Catholic social thought, which primarily thinks of the common good in terms of the equitable distribution of goods like health, education, and opportunity, could benefit from the extensive literature in public policy, economics, and political science, which study the role of institutions and policies in generating desirable social outcomes. A second approach, rooted in pre-Machiavellian Catholic thought, would expand on this modern notion to include concerns about the way the culture shapes our understanding of what genuine human flourishing entails. On that account, the social sciences offer a valuable description of human life; but because they underestimate how human behavior is shaped by institutions, policies, and the discourse of social science itself, their insights need to be treated with caution.

scholarly journals The Concept of Feasibility: A Multivocal Account

Res Publica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Guillery
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Moral Theory ◽  
Common View ◽  
The World ◽  
Common Objection ◽  
The Common

AbstractA common objection to a proposal or theory in political philosophy is that it is not feasible to realise what it calls for. This is commonly taken to be sufficient to reject a proposal or theory: feasibility, on this common view, operates as a straightforward constraint on moral and political theory, whatever is not feasible is simply ruled out. This paper seeks to understand what we mean when we say that some proposal or outcome is or is not feasible. It will argue that no single binary definition can be given. Rather, there is a whole range of possible specifications of the term ‘feasible’, each of which selects a range of facts of the world to hold fixed. No single one of these possible specifications, though, is obviously privileged as giving the appropriate understanding of ‘feasibility’ tout court. The upshot of my account of feasibility, then, will be that the common view of feasibility as a straightforward constraint cannot be maintained: in order to reject a moral theory, it will not be sufficient simply to say that it is not feasible.

Solidarity, the Common Good and Social Justice in the Catholic Social Teaching within the Framework of Globalization

2016 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-31
Author(s):  
Rochus-Antonin (Roman) Gruijters
Keyword(s):  
Common Good ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Human Person ◽  
The Common Good ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Religious Intolerance ◽  
Moral Perspective ◽  
The Common ◽  
Religious Problems ◽  
Globalized World

This article argues that when globalization is accompanied by such problems as religious intolerance, social injustice, poverty, disrespect for the human dignity and oppression, Catholics should address these challenges on a social and an academic level. The Catholic social tradition, as the single bearer of reflection on the meaning of the common good, envisions the idea of this common good in particularly useful ways by linking it to concepts of solidarity and justice. Furthermore, the Catholic Social Doctrine offers a vision of humanity which rejects intolerance and violence and proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person should be the foundation of a moral vision for society. In short, this article will expand how – from a Catholic intellectual and moral perspective on a globalized world – the concept of bonum commune can address contemporary social, cultural and religious problems.

Killing through negligence and its distinction with other kinds of murder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Myslivyy ◽  
Angelina Mykyta
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Law ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Criminal Code ◽  
The State ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Common Features ◽  
Criminal Offenses ◽  
The Common

Problem setting. According to Art. 27 of the Constitution of Ukraine, everyone has an inalienable right to life, no one can be arbitrarily deprived of life, and the state, in turn, is obliged to protect human life. Protection of a person’s life, as a duty of the state, is manifested in the establishment of criminal liability, enshrined in Section II “Criminal offenses against life and health of a person” of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, who commit socially dangerous acts. whether there are criminal offenses and what punishments they should be committed. The distinction between crimes such as premeditated murder and negligent deprivation of another’s life is important, as criminal law theory still does not have sufficient information on this issue and does not have a complete list of features of the above crimes, but we tried to identify them in our article. Target of research. Deepening their knowledge on the caution of a person’s life due to inconsistency and drawing the line between possible offenses and conditional authority, clarifying the special characteristics of the perpetrator and the victim, outlining the essential features of the perpetrator and the victim, and researching the regulation of negligent proposal of a new version of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Analysis of resent researches and publications. The theoretical basis for the study of the problem of murder through negligence are the works of legal scholars, in particular, M. Bazhanov, V. Borisov, S. Borodin, V. Glushkov, O. Gorokhovskaya, I. Zinchenko , V. Tyutyugin, O. Us, E. Kisilyuk, V. Kuts, M. Yefimov, S. Likhova, V. Stashis, V. Shablisty and others. Article’s main body. According to Art. 3 of the Constitution of Ukraine, man, his life and health, honor and dignity, inviolability and security are recognized in Ukraine as the highest social value. Given this constitutional provision, the legislator should pay special attention to the criminal law protection of human life and health as the most important public relations. So it is no coincidence that considering such encroachments as one of the most dangerous in the criminal law dimension, the legislator established criminal liability for their commission in Section II “Criminal offenses against life and health” of the Special Part of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Due to the high public danger and the high prevalence of criminal offenses against human life and health, criminal law theory and law enforcement practice are under increasing scrutiny. Thus, the analysis of judicial practice in recent years shows that, for example, among all murders (Articles 117-119 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) the number of persons convicted of deprivation of life due to negligence is about 15 percent annually. In our opinion, it is also advisable to analyze the concept of “murder” by comparing the common and distinctive features of the offenses referred to in Art. Art. 115 and 119 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. According to scientific results, we can conclude that these offenses have many common features. It is possible to understand the common features and preconditions for the spread of these types of offenses. Conclusions and prospects for the development. A study of issues related to the criminal law analysis of murder through negligence and its difference from other types of murder, shows that these acts encroach on the identical object, which is “human life as a set of social relations.” Unfortunately, nowadays the dynamics of offenses committed in Art. Art. 115 and 119 is intensifying, so consideration of their delimitation and characterization of their features is very important. The study examines the main features of these types of crimes, as well as analyzes some provisions of national law and proposes some adjustments to them.

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