Kant and the Politics of Racism : Towards Kant’s Racialised Form of Cosmopolitan Right

"520 This book proposes an account of the place of the theory of race in Kant’s thought as a central part of philosophical anthropology in his political system. Kant’s theory of race, this book argues, is integral to the analysis of the Charakteristik of the human species and determined by human natural predispositions. The understanding of his theory as such suggests not only an alternative reading to the orthodox narrative we have seen so far but also reveals the underlying centrality of the notion of human natural predispositions in a way that is consequential for Kant’s philosophy as a whole. What is the impact of Kant’s racial theory on his philosophy and political thought? Is Kant a consistent egalitarian or a partisan Universalist thinker? Is he the symbol of racist prejudices of his time? What is the influence of his racial hierarchy on his cosmopolitan right? Or more simply, is Kant racist? From a systematic examination of Kant relevant writings, this book provides answers to these questions and shed light on two fundamental problems of his theory of race for moral philosophy, namely: (1) the completeness of the character of the White race and (2) the dispossession of the character of the beauty and the dignity of human nature of the Negro race. These two issues, unperceived from the orthodox readings perspective, however, uncovered by the heterodox reading, not only shape Kant’s race thinking from the beginning to the end of his life, transform his cosmopolitan right into a non-universalist form of right, but merely define Kant as a fundamental racist thinker since he developed the anthropology, the philosophy, and the politics of racism in a systematic way."--Publisher description Preface: The Dominant Narrative Does Not Always Reveal Truth! Contents List of Figures List of Tables 1: Introduction: Towards a Heterodox Reading of Kant’s Theory of Race The “Charakteristik” as the Study of the Character of the Human Species In the Coming Chapters Part I: Problematising the “Orthodox” Reading 2: Kant on Race: The Current Debate The “Orthodox Reading” of Kant’s Theory of Race Emmanuel Eze’s Wakeup Call Racialism Believers Universalism’s Defenders Inconsistent Universalism What about the Orthodox Reading Narratives? 3: Critique of the Orthodox Reading The Completeness of the Character of the White Race The Dispossession of the Character of Human Dignity of the Negro Race Objections to the Orthodox Reading: Kant’s Universalism Versus Kant’s Racialism Debate First Objection: The Delineation of Kant’s Thought into Central and Peripheral Claims Is Inadequate and Senseless The Preponderance of Kant’s Teaching Kant’s Own View Concerning His Philosophical System The Content of Kant’s Philosophical System Second Objection: Kant’s Change of Mind Argument Is Inaccurate The Misinterpretation of Kant’s Controversial Moral Claims The Failure to Notice the Role of the Notion of “Charakteristik” Looking Ahead Step One: The Reading of So-Called Pre-critical Writings Step Two: Find Out What Kant Regards as the Basis for His Theory of Race Step Three: Take a Close Look at Kant’s Notion of Natural Predispositions Part II: Reconstructing Kant’s Theory of Race 4: Kant, Race and Natural History The Epistemic Status of Natural History Buffon’s “Abstract” and “Physical” Truths in Natural History Kant’s Dismissal of Mechanical Law in Natural History Linnaeus’ and Buffon’s Accounts of the Human Species “Of the Different Races of Human Beings” Definition of the Human Species Division of the Human Species into Different Races The Causes of the Character of Racial Differences Germs, Predispositions and the Completeness of the Character of the White Race 5: Kant, Race and Teleology From a Posteriori to a Priori Conception of the “Charakteristik” of the Human Species Missed Opportunities Kant’s First Missed Opportunity Kant’s Self-appropriation of the Theory of Race Kant’s Second Missed Opportunity The Teleology of Racial Diversity Part III: Kant’s Theory of Race and Cosmopolitanism 6: Kant, Race and Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View Some Preliminaries about Kant’s Racial Theory of the 1790s What is Pragmatic “Charakteristik”? The “Charakteristik” as Natural Predispositions Kant’s Natural Predispositions of the 1770s Kant’s Natural Predispositions of the 1780s Kant’s Natural Predispositions of the 1790s The “Anthropological Charakteristik” of 1798 and Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime of 1764 The Character of Persons The Sentiment of Feeling and Activity Versus the Feeling of the Beauty and Dignity of Human Nature The Character of a Person According to the Four Temperaments The Character of the People Kant’s Pragmatic Physiognomy The Character of Races The Character of Species Different Types of Natural Predispositions Development of Natural Predispositions in the White Race 7: Kant’s Non-Universal Cosmopolitanism Kant’s Cosmopolitan Right as an Exclusive Form of Right Kant’s Cosmopolitanism: The “Orthodox Reading” Problematising the “Orthodox Reading” of Kant’s Cosmopolitanism The Legal Order as Final End of History Kleingeld’s Contradictions Ypi’s Inconsistencies The “Heterodox Reading” of Kant’s Cosmopolitanism Kant’s Development of Natural Predispositions Kant’s Cosmopolitanism Addressees Kant’s Cosmopolitan Content 8: Concluding Remarks Bibliography Kant’s Chronological Writings 1749 1754 1755 1756 1757 1758 1759 1760 1762 1763 1764 1765 1766 1768 1770 1771 1775 1776 1781 1782 1783 1784 1785 1786 1787 1788 1789 1790 1791 1793 1794 1795 1796 1796 1797 1798 1802 1803 Works Cited Index This book proposes an account of the place of the theory of race in Kants thought as a central part of philosophical anthropology in his political system. Kants theory of race, this book argues, is integral to the analysis of the Charakteristik of the human species and determined by human natural predispositions. The understanding of his theory as such suggests not only an alternative reading to the orthodox narrative we have seen so far but also reveals the underlying centrality of the notion of human natural predispositions in a way that is consequential for Kants philosophy as a whole. What is the impact of Kants racial theory on his philosophy and political thought? Is Kant a consistent egalitarian or a partisan Universalist thinker? Is he the symbol of racist prejudices of his time? What is the influence of his racial hierarchy on his cosmopolitan right? Or more simply, is Kant racist? From a systematic examination of Kant relevant writings, this book provides answers to these questions and shed light on two fundamental problems of his theory of race for moral philosophy, namely: (1) the completeness of the character of the White race and (2) the dispossession of the character of the beauty and the dignity of human nature of the Negro race. These two issues, unperceived from the orthodox Breadings perspective, however, uncovered by the heterodox reading, not only shape Kants race thinking from the beginning to the end of his life, transform his cosmopolitan right into a non-universalist form of right, but merely define Kant as a fundamental racist thinker since he developed the anthropology, the philosophy, and the politics of racism in a systematic way