Helsinki Centre for Intellectual History is back from summer vacation and would like to invite you to our first seminar of the Autumn semester!
Come and join us on the 3rd of October from 16 to 18 at Helsinki Collegium of Advanced Studies (Fabianinkatu 24), where our two guests are going to talk about the limits of Kant’s ethics from the standpoint of the questions of race and slavery:
Jonas Gerlings (University of Göttingen): Recognizing humanity in the human being. The question of slavery in classical German philosophy from Kant to Hegel (1788-1807).
Abstract:
In recent years a growing debate has emerged about questions of race and slavery in classical German philosophy. Most of the debate has centred around two names, Kant and Hegel. By focusing on the question of slavery at the turn of the century this paper demonstrates that the issue of slavery was more widely debated in the German public than is usually assumed. This provides a new context for understanding one of the main thesis on Kant, namely that he changed his mind from endorsing racist and pro-slavery sentiments in the 1780s to becoming an avid critic of slavery in the 1790s. In particular, the paper argues that a Kantian abolitionist argument emerged, even before Kant himself publicly formulated his own criticism of slavery. By tracing the development of this Kantian argument the paper shows how it may likely have served as the backdrop for Hegel’s master-serf dialectic.
Hanne Appelqvist (University of Helsinki): Kant's formalism and the question of South Sea Islanders.
Abstract:
In recent years, scholars have paid increasing attention to the colonial, patriarchal, and racist echoes that may be found in the canonical works of the Western intellectual heritage. One of the culprits identified is Immanuel Kant, whose writings incorporate statements that may, with good reason, be considered prejudiced and offensive. In this presentation, I revisit these charges and the question of how we should understand them in relation to Kant’s overall goals in moral philosophy. I will argue that Kant’s commitment to what I call his “Formalist Thesis”, namely, the view that a priori principles grounding the validity of different kinds of judgments must be empty of empirical content, gives us grounds to treat his racist remarks as irrelevant for the viability of his moral philosophy.
Mark the day in your calendars and we hope to see you there!