Will Peace Invincibly Prevail in the World? What Does Nature Assure Us of, According to Kant’s Treatise Perpetual Peace?

Abstract

In his “Eternal Peace”, Kant introduces a “natural guarantee” of perpetual peace. On first sight, this guarantee seems to relieve humans from the obligation to promote eternal peace acitively, because it will develop anyway. But Kants calls this “guarantee” a practical one, that is, a mere guarantee of success: Human conduct aiming art the attainment of Peace will not be in vain. Hence this guarantee prevents political leaders in Europe from escaping their responsibility by claiming that perpetual peace would only be possible in a world of holy beings, but not with humans.