Are Justice and Peace Coming Nearer?

A Contemporary Account of Kant's Views on the "Ethical Commonwealth" and "Perpetual Peace"

Abstract

When we deal with Kant's vision of future world society, an understanding of two concepts is essential: the concept of "perpetual peace" and the concept of the "ethical commonwealth". This article will attempt to tentatively answer the question whether we are gradually coming closer to the historical stage marked by these two concepts, concepts that Kant uses to describe what might be interpreted as the "aim of history". I will first briefly shed some light on Kant's understanding of the ethical commonwealth and perpetual peace and then propose an assessment of humanity's advance in its possible historical path to these two conditions.