Kantian Freedom, Morality, and the Necessity of History

Freedom of the Will in Kantian Philosophy

For Kant, freedom is one of the defining qualities of the human being. As articulated in the Critique of Practical Reason, it is one of the fundamental principles necessary to establish morality. If human beings were not free, it would not be possible to speak of moral or immoral behavior.

Only those who can act freely are responsible, transcending sensible inclinations which, as such, are subject to the inexorable laws of nature. For Kant, freedom is the human capacity to decide, taking into account the rational dimension. The central question Kant addresses (in this work and generally) is precisely whether human freedom is compatible with the idea of necessity governing history, thus combining necessity and freedom.

The Moral Imperative and Duty

One of the tenets upon which the moral imperative to act in respect to duty rests is that of freedom. Man partakes of nature and is subject to its laws, but man is more than nature; he possesses a determined manner that allows him to divorce himself from the bonds of sensibility. Kant states:

"The clear presentation of the duties, as opposed to the pretensions of inclinations alone has had to produce the consciousness of freedom."

This field of ends, or freedom, is where man must take responsibility for his own life, answering the fundamental question: What should I do?

Phenomena and Freedom

Kant considers human actions as belonging to the phenomenal world, and therefore subject to the laws of nature. However, freedom is what elevates man above the world of phenomena.

Nature and Freedom: The Two Pillars of Kant's System

The Kantian philosophical system rests on two pillars: nature and freedom. Nature is accessed through the theoretical use of reason, and its study belongs to the Critique of Pure Reason, where Kant attempts to construct a theory of knowledge, following the model of Newtonian science. The natural world is governed by the necessity of its laws.

The Concept of Mankind (Whole Species)

The term "Whole species" refers to mankind. It is a scientific concept (real), not a logical concept, nor is it metaphysical in the style of Plato. The Kantian concept of mankind is a totum understood as an "idea" to be realized, and not a compositum in the mode of the universal concept of logic.

Therefore, the attribute of perfection cannot be said of individuals, but of all mankind. It is mankind that must develop its natural disposition and moral disposition, which is what qualifies it as true humanity.

History as the Attainment of Freedom

Kant views history as a possible system of human actions. For Kant, human history is the field goal—the attainment of freedom. It is the result of a natural tendency that leads human beings to their full realization.

The most characteristic of the capabilities of the human species, according to Kant, is reason. Kant, like other Enlightenment philosophers, believes in the progress of reason and the perfectibility of mankind. He explained this as a process of carrying out the various natural dispositions or origins with which nature has endowed man, allowing us to discover the common thread of history.