Kant’s Political Philosophy in Times of Globalisation

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Impression of the event

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In times of geopolitical conflicts and wars, how is it possible to speak about peace?

This question was the focal point of Professor Dr. Dr. Matthias Lutz-Bachmann’s lecture on Kant’s political philosophy in times of globalisation at Sophia University in Tokyo.

Based on selected texts by the philosopher, Lutz-Bachmann elaborated on legal, normative and moral terms that can enable peace. His lecture “‘Der Friedenszustand unter Menschen ist kein Naturzustand. Er muss also gestiftet werden‘: Kants Politische Philosophie angesichts der globalen Konflikte der Gegenwart“ referred to one of Kants’s probably most famous texts: „Toward Perpetual Peace“.

In a lively discussion, attendees not only referred to further philosophical texts, they also raised additional questions of peacekeeping. The audience in Tokyo was particularly interested in the role played by institutions of civil society, state or religion in times of global crisis. Acting as the Japanese host, Professor Toshiro Terada, representative of Japanische Kant-Gesellschaft and Dean of the Department of Philosophy at Sophia University, lead through the trilingual debate.

During the subsequent networking session, attendees had the opportunity to engage in dialogue, enriched by the diverse perspectives they brought. The event attracted a wide-ranging audience, including internationally well-connected and established professors as well as high school students, university students and researchers in early career phases.

The lecture event was organised by Japanische Kant-Gesellschaft in cooperation with the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities at Sophia University and the DFG to commemorate Immanuel Kant’s 300th birthday (1724–1804).