Abstract. This paper is based on the conviction that a reading of Kant’s political-legal philosophy centred on his republican conception of “freedom as independence” (as the irrevocable status of every individual) might be of great value in understanding correctly, and dealing adequately with, the issue of the rights. However, his archaic conception of sovereignty as the supreme power that should be assigned to a determinate person stands as a stumbling block for that purpose. This paper argues that this conception is indeed at odds with his republican theory of law too and might better be discarded.

Citation

Demiray, Mehmet Ruhi. 2021. The Incongruity Between Kant’s Republicanism and His Conception of Sovereignty. Public Reason 13 (1): 7-20.