Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21464/mo.31.2.10
Kant’s changing thoughts on race. Critical remarks on Kleingeld’s interpretation
Milica Smajević Roljić
orcid.org/0000-0003-4218-308X
; Department of Philosphy, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Croatia
Jelena Govedarica
orcid.org/0000-0003-4974-1064
; Institute of Philosophy, Faculty of Philsophy, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Abstract
In the midst of the debate about the extent of Kant’s “racism”, Pauline Kleingeld published a very influential article titled “Kant’s Second Thoughts on Race” (2007). Her central thesis is that Kant affirmed views based on racial hierarchy until the mid-1790s, when he abandoned them in favor of egalitarian theories. Bearing in mind the significance of this text for the debates surrounding Kant’s theory of race, we will present Kleingeld’s interpretation in the first part of the paper. In the second part of the paper, we will criticize her theory, arguing that, firstly, characterizing Kant’s attitudes as racist is inappropriate, because Kant’s ranking of different races should be understood as a comparison of the empirical differences observed in his time among members of different races rather than “racial hierarchy”. Secondly, although Kant indeed developed his political and legal theories over the years, which resulted in the softening and absence of comments that sound extremely racist to today’s readers in his later works, he did not radically change them.
Keywords
racism; racial hierarchy; slavery; colonialism; cosmopolitan law; paternalism; anthropology; physical geography
Hrčak ID:
331666
URI
Publication date:
20.5.2025.
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