Human Dignity and the Kingdom of Ends

This book advances our understanding of the nature, grounds and limits of human dignity by connecting it with Kant’s notion of an ideal moral community, or "Kingdom of Ends". It features original essays by leading Kant scholars and moral and political philosophers from around the world.

Although Kant’s influential injunction to treat humanity as an end in itself and never merely as a means has garnered the most attention among those interested in analyzing human dignity with a Kantian lens, Kant himself places much more emphasis on the Kingdom of Ends as crucial for defining human dignity. The chapters in this collection focus not only on interpretive issues related to the Kingdom of Ends but also on practical applications that have the potential to advance discussions about the nature and foundations of rights, the content of moral principles, the importance of moral ideals and attitudes and the nature of moral motivation. Exploring and connecting the ideas of human dignity and the Kingdom of Ends significantly deepens our moral understanding, advances discussions in moral and political philosophy and enhances our appreciation of Kant’s moral theory.

Human Dignity and the Kingdom of Ends: Kantian Perspectives and Practical Applications will appeal to scholars and advanced students of Kant, moral philosophy, political philosophy, and political theory.

Jan-Willem van der Rijt is Associate Professor in Philosophy at Umeå University (Sweden). His research is centered on the themes of dignity, wellbeing, and strategic interaction. He authored The Importance of Assent: A Theory of Dignity and Coercion (2012) and co-edited Wellbeing in Contemporary Society (2015) and Focal Points in Negotiation (2020).

Adam Cureton is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tennessee (USA). He primarily works on issues in moral theory, Kant’s moral philosophy, and practical ethics, especially the philosophy of disability. He co-edited Disability and Disadvantage (2009), Disability in Practice (2018), and The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Disability (2020).