Abstract

The central problem that I address in this dissertation is itself a political one. I consider the implications of taking Immanuel Kant's thought seriously with respect to international relations. And I examine the stakes of taking on a Kantian approach to understanding international politics. ;Kant's political philosophy is foundational to modern international relations theory and is subject to substantial revival within the discipline. The first movement of this study thus offers a critical evaluation of how Kant's thought has historically functioned in this field of inquiry. My initial findings are that both the ground and new vision that his texts allegedly offer are founded in highly problematic readings. In this respect I insist on the need to review Kant's political writings within the deeper context of his larger philosophical texts. Taking up this task myself, I discover that Kant's political thought does not support the aims or conventions of traditional international relations theory whatsoever. I submit that his work effectively argues against the legitimacy of the discipline. But, I do not, consequently, suggest that Kant's work has nothing to say to the study of international politics. On the contrary, I contend that he simply offers a very different approach, one that understands international relations itself as being a theoretical practice. I thus go on to explore the kind of international theory Kant himself offers. And I find this to be a fundamentally critical enterprise. But, in this regard, I also discover that Kant's representation of international politics does not meet the standards of the critical approach he himself requires. Finally, I consider whether or not it is possible to develop a successful approach to international politics that is in fact commensurate with Kant's commitment to critique. Here I find glimpses of possibility in the works of certain contemporary theorists of international relations. Still, I ultimately conclude that a Kantian-critical approach to international politics must give up the world or the international as its bases of analysis and, rather, take up politics, minus global limits, as its initial ground.