O direito como condição para a paz perpétua em Immanuel Kant

Abstract

Peace and the means to achieve it have been an aim to the theoretical striving of many thinkers throughout history. An important contribution in this way was undoubtedly that of Immanuel Kant, who conceived perpetual peace as rational end to human beings in narrow connection to the idea of right. Thus, we shall attempt to reconstruct, from a systemic perspective, Kant’s arguments that support his view of right as a condition to perpetual peace. This end has been attained by means of the analysis of Kant’s works that relate to the theme and also the important contributions of some main scholars. After an approach to the problem of freedom in the realm of theoretical reason, the idea of right and its importance to peace is discussed. As a conclusion, it is argued that right can be conceived as condition to perpetual peace from two different correlated perspectives: (i) as a necessary condition to the possibility of thinking peace as a rational end to human beings; and (ii) as a sufficient condition to the realization of peace in the realm of human actions.