Is the U.N. borne out of Kants theories?
I do believe that Kant is the most influential thinker of the Modern Age. So even though he may not have been thinking of a specific body such as the U.N., he did consider the effects of a world state based on a union of countries. You can see how a lot of Kant’s ideas helped shape the U.N., and Perpetual Peace is definitely steeped in the spirit of global governance. Which aspects of Kant’s thinking are still relevant to politicians today? The obvious answer would be in matters of moral law. But if you want to avoid obvious answers, then one could cite his emphasis on reason, and the importance of maintaining a rational view of the world while also recognizing the limits of reason. I think the most important lesson that politicians can learn from Kant is that our world is a rational one. The principle that it’s based on an ethical foundation is part of that, as is accepting the limitations of reason. Politicians have to be aware that sometimes people act irrationally, and they have to
