Republican democratic state and the public teaching of morality in Kant

Abstract

This paper defends three intrinsically related theses regarding Kant’s political philosophy: i) that philosophy of history, anthropology and politics are interconnected from a practical principle of purposiveness, which gives sense to the concept of a “doctrine of right put into practice”; ii) that Kant’s practical philosophy envisages a democratic republican state that takes on the responsibility to morally educate its future citizens; iii) that this project of moral education must comply with at least three principles: it must be based on the concept of duty; it must involve reflection; and it must depend on the citizenry’s learning how to make free public use of reason.