Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-m8qmq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-20T03:03:04.247Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Political Philosophies of Kant and Marx

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2017

Howard Williams
Howard Williams*
Affiliation:
Cardiff University
*
Email: WilliamsH58@cardiff.ac.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Whilst acknowledging that there are several major differences in the approach which Kant and Marx take to political philosophy this article argues that there are also several common themes. These common themes of commitment to critique, freedom, equality, human betterment and cosmopolitanism are first highlighted. Subsequently the most marked contrasts in their approaches are examined and evaluated. Although Kant demonstrates greater political wisdom and a greater respect for law, Marx shows greater insight into social and political forces. Taken together Kant and Marx present an as yet unrealized, powerful programme for political and social improvement.

Keywords

KantMarxcritiquelibertyequalitycosmopolitanismhuman betterment
Type
Articles
Information
Kantian Review , Volume 22 , Special Issue 4: Special Issue on Kant and Marx , December 2017 , pp. 619 - 640
Copyright
© Kantian Review 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Chitty, Andrew, and McIvor, Martin (2009) Karl Marx and Contemporary Philosophy. Basingstoke: Palgrave.Google Scholar
De Boer, Karin (2010) The Sway of the Negative. Basingstoke: Palgrave.Google Scholar
Kant, Immanuel (1991) Kant: Political Writings, Ed. Hans Reiss. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kant, Immanuel (1996) Practical Philosophy, Trans. and ed. Mary J. Gregor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lefebvre, Henri (1972) The Sociology of Marx. Harmondsworth: Penguin.Google Scholar
Macdonald, Bradley T (2006) ‘Karl Marx’. In Terrell Carver and James Martin (eds), Continental Political Thought. Houndmills: Palgrave), pp. 59–72.Google Scholar
Marx, Karl (1970a) (Capital: A Critique of Political Economy. London: Lawrence & Wishart.Google Scholar
Marx, Karl (1970b) Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts. London: Lawrence & Wishart.Google Scholar
Marx, Karl, and Engels, Friedrich (1967) Writings of the Young Marx on Philosophy and Society. New York: Doubleday & Co.Google Scholar
Marx, Karl, and Engels, Friedrich (1968) Selected Works. London: Lawrence & Wishart.Google Scholar
Marx, Karl, and Engels, Friedrich (1973) Karl Marx/Friedrich Engels: Werke. 4th edn. Berlin: DDR Dietz Verlag.Google Scholar
Munzel, Felicitas G (2014) ‘What does his Religion Contribute to Kant’s Conception of Practical Reason?’. In Gordon Michalson (ed.) Kant’s Religion with the Boundaries of Mere Reason: A Critical Guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp. 214–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilde, Lawrence (1998) Ethical Marxism and its Radical Critics. New York: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Williams, Howard (2003) Kant’s Critique of Hobbes. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.Google Scholar