Immanuel Kant's Philosophy: Key Concepts and Perpetual Peace

Text commentary. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was a German philosopher. It is considered one of the most influential thinkers of modern Europe, the last period of enlightenment and universal philosophy. Currently, Kant continues to have ample force in various disciplines: philosophy, ethics, law, aesthetics, science, politics, etc.. A sustained meditation on the various phenomena of human action takes us necessarily to Kant, who along with Plato and Aristotle is, as a large majority, the common theme of the great contributions to knowledge humano.El Booklet on "Perpetual Peace" Kant deals with the political system of international law founded on a Federation of Free States. The book argues for perpetual peace as the ultimate goal of progress and history, and its structure consists of six preliminary articles, three final articles, two supplements and two appendices. In the first definitive paper, states that the republican constitution is the form of government most conducive to peace. The fundamental pillars on which the constitution are the backbone of freedom, equality and citizenship mediated separation of powers and representation.

Nature: in this context refers to nature as creator and guiding principle of reality. In this general, Kant's philosophy adds two senses (inclusive) of the term. On one side would be the order of the mechanical, of necessity. Nature is what the law is discussed in one hand and experiment in the other, as Kant himself writes in the Critique of Pure Reason. However, a part of nature (the living) are characterized by the purpose: nature works according to purpose.

Liberty; defining characteristic of human beings is the capacity to determine oneself through one's actions and decisions. This is a key concept in the Critique of Pure Reason, where freedom is coupled with autonomy, the ability to be himself and rules, therefore, to think for yourself.

Need: This concept refers to Kant to the precariousness of human life. The man lacks everything, and is in an unfavorable position compared to other species. In the whole sentence is talking about Kant of the "stinginess" of nature on humans, by failing equipped with any special feature that will facilitate the survival and welfare, it is man himself who must be sought.

Happiness would be full and effective realization of one's personal abilities, self-realization. In Kantian terminology, we might speak of the "supreme good" of human beings, the attainment of which necessarily involves moral improvement (always act out of duty), which must be added the achievement of the purposes for which the individual has reasonably determined to be desirable (for this tension between the dictates of reason and desire and the "human insecurity" that we discussed before, Kant says in the text "as possible on the earth").

Self-esteem: this term refers to the German author the human capacity to think both about the world around us and on one's personal life. The man is concerned with the making itself, the plan, think, and not, as the other species, satisfied with food, shelter and survival. Man is rational, and though the desire and instinct are present in nature, it brings rationality and animality, the world of necessity, being as human being itself the thinking itself, to decide for itself .

Welfare: Kant refers to material satisfaction, the main goal of all animal species except humans. In the animal kingdom seeks only the welfare, with sufficient resources and basic conditions of shelter and safety. This being, however, not sufficient to humans, since, as we have said, freedom and rationality gives it a different plane to the animal. More important than the well-being are, in the case of man, happiness, moral autonomy, thought.