Abstract

The main concern of this dissertation is an interpretation of Kant's writings on history. I interpret Kant's writings on history as necessary complements to his moral philosophy and consider the significance of this for moral philosophy generally. Kant identifies duties of right as constitutive of historical progress and develops an account of the moral psychology necessary for the fulfillment of those duties. I present and defend this interpretation by demonstrating the connections between Kant's cosmopolitan view of history and his practical philosophy and by situating Kant's claims about history in their seventeenth- and eighteenth-century context. Detailed attention is paid to Kant's later moral philosophy, especially The Metaphysics of Morals and Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone . Among other things, this examination shows how Kant extends the scope of moral deliberation to international and cosmopolitan issues and how practical reason applies to pluralistic circumstances in which shared preferences, interests, or conceptions of a common good do not prevail