Does History Have A Purpose? Immanuel Kant's Political Writings

In this episode we read two of Kant's most influential essays: “An Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose” and “What is Enlightenment?”.

In "Universal History", Kant suggests that history is the progressive development of humanity’s reason. In “What is Enlightenment?”, Kant argues that being enlightened is the capacity to think for oneself. History’s purpose, therefore, is the gradual enlightenment of the human race. How might we achieve this enlightened state? Well, listening, sharing, and liking the Ideas Matter podcast is a good place to start!

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