Would devils be devils with theoretical reason alone under a Kantian account?
This paper focuses on Kant’s Towards Perpetual Peace famous statement according to which the problem of the State can be solved even for a race of devils, at least if they possess understanding. Its aim is to show that, despite Kant’s phrasing, understood as possessing the power of understanding alone, a devil would not be evil, nor accountable for his acts. A substantive account of this devil’s rationality can and shall be developed on the basis of Kant’s approach to practical agency in general. In this sense, understood as a rational being capable of end-setting under practical laws, a devil would have to be taken as an egotistical being who systematically acts out of self-interest. Under this presupposition, and at least from a juridical point of view in Kant, the hypothesis of a nation of devils offers a more interesting case for analysis.
Authors
- Gehad Marcon Bark (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6447-5046)
Institutions
- Universidade Federal do Paraná (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Studia Kantiana
- Published
- 2025-08-31
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.5380/sk.v23i2.100471
- Primary Topic
- History of Science and Medicine
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
- Universidade Federal do Paraná