Kant’s critique of Hobbes: A veiled reproach to his own ruler
Abstract
The paper examines Kant’s explicit opposition to Hobbes as presented in the central part of the text On the Common Saying: That May Be Correct in Theory, but It Is of No Use in Practice from 1793. The aim of the paper is to analyze the content and the specific manner in which Kant addresses Hobbes, in order to demonstrate how Kant’s critique of Hobbes can be read concurrently as an implicit critique of the absolutism of his own ruler, Frederick William II. The paper also explores the possibility that this might be a concealed motive behind Kant’s engagement with Hobbes in the context of the aforementioned work.
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