The german response to kant's essay on perpetual peace: Herder contra the romantics

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2007

Abstract

The author analyzes the three most widely discussed German early romantic responses to Kant's essay Zum ewigen Frieden, composed by Fichte, Friedrich Schlegel, and Görres. Whereas most scholarly treatments of these responses argue that they go beyond Kant in advocating an even greater degree of cosmopolitan unity, freedom, and democracy in Europe after the French Revolution than did Kant, the author shows how Fichte, Schlegel, and Görres betray a greater concern with both the disorder resulting from the Revolution, and a fear that reactionary forces will stifle its gains. Thus, their embrace of democracy was equivocal at best. The author concludes by arguing that Herder, in his response to Kant's treatise, argued for a greater level of freedom than did the early romantics, but also refuted what he saw as the cosmopolitan utopianism of Zum ewigen Frieden. © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Germanic Review

First Page

343

Last Page

368

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