Items related to On Perpetual Peace
Immanuel Kant's On Perpetual Peace, published in 1795, is a landmark document exploring the ancient question of how human societies can create conditions which foster peace among nations. Kant concedes that such a state of peace is not a natural condition, but he offers the often tentative hope that if certain international principles are adopted a progress towards such a peace is certainly possible, at least among a federation of free states. The essay lays down specific principles and explores in some detail the eternal conflict between morality and political expediency, arguing that the two are not as diametrically opposed as many would maintain: "If it is our duty to realize a condition of public right and if, at the same time, there are grounds for hope we can achieve that, although only by an endless progress which takes us closer to it, then perpetual peace, which follows what have so far been falsely called peace treaties (which are really truces suspending hostilities) is not an empty idea, but a task which is gradually resolving itself and is always coming nearer to its goal (because the time it takes to make equal advances will, one hopes, grow shorter and shorter)." This new translation by Ian Johnston is a fresh and faithful rendition of Kant's text. It also provides supplementary footnotes to assist the reader with contemporary references and potential ambiguities in the argument.
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From the Back Cover:
About the Author:
Kant’s landmark essay “On Perpetual Peace” is as timely, relevant, and inspiring today as when it was first written over 200 years ago. In it we find a forward-looking vision of a world respectful of human rights, dominated by liberal democracies, and united in a cosmopolitan federation of diverse peoples. The essay is an expression of global idealism that remains an enduring antidote to the violence and cynicism that are all too often on display in international relations and foreign affairs.
This book features a fresh and vigorous translation of Kant’s essay by Ian Johnston, and it includes an extended introduction by philosopher Brian Orend. The introduction situates Kant’s essay in its historical context and offers a substantial analysis, section by section, of the essay itself. In doing so, Orend not only discusses Kant’s personal life and the history of the perpetual peace tradition, he also shows how Kant’s provocative ideas have inspired and infused our own time, especially the concept of a global alliance of free societies committed to respecting human rights.
Ian Johnston was born in Valaparaiso, Chile, and educated in Canada and England. He has a BSc from McGill in Geology and Chemistry, a BA from Bristol in English and Greek, and an MA from Toronto in English. For many years he taught as a college and university-college instructor in British Columbia teaching English, Classics and Liberal Studies. He is the author of. Over two dozen of this translated works have been published in both book and audiobook form. He is now retired and living in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
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- PublisherRicher Resources Publications
- Publication date2013
- ISBN 10 1935238515
- ISBN 13 9781935238515
- BindingPerfect Paperback
- Number of pages78
- IllustratorIan Crowe
- Rating
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