Welfare in the Kantian State

A traditional interpretation holds that Kant's political theory simply constitutes an account of the constraints which reason places on the state's authority to regulate external action. Alexander Kaufman argues that this traditional interpretation succeeds neither as a faithful reading of Kant's texts nor as a plausible, philosophically sound reconstruction of a 'Kantian' political theory. Rather, he argues that Kant's political theory articulates a positive conception of the state's role.