Kant's Critique of Hobbes: Sovereignty and Cosmopolitanism

Centering on Immanuel Kant's 1793 essay Theory and Practice, in which he critiques the thinking of Thomas Hobbes, this book presents a systematic contrast of the ideas of the two philosophers on morals and politics. A study of the relationship between the two thinkers, this book reveals that viable alternatives to Hobbes's beliefs can be found in Kant's political writings. Williams shows how Kant anticipates the development of a worldwide political order and suggests that through Kant's political philosophy, the sovereignty of the individual state and cosmopolitanism can be brought into agreement.

About the Author:
Howard Williams is a professor of international politics at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He is the author of Kant's Political Philosophy, Concepts of Ideology, International Relations and the Limits of Political Theory, and Francis Fukuyama and the End of History.