Does he believe that all human beings are rational agents?
2007-03-22 09:52:21 · 4 answers · asked by sokrates 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Kant seems to say that blacks or Native Americans are rationally deficient. He even says that Native Americans cannot learn and they are lazy as a race. Kant appears to say that the white race is superior. There are many portions of his work that deal with this issue.
2007-03-22 10:06:00 · update #1
Silon,
I did not say that Kant believed/believes all humans are rational agents. That was one of my questions. And I say "is" Kant a racist because it is conventional to use the present tense verb when talking about a major thinker. For his or her ideas still live on after death.
2007-03-22 12:10:35 · update #2
I'm not sure but some of his followers act so, Max Weber, Karl Popper, they think that only the west is rational enough for them.
i knew it! can you please give me references for this. now I'm asking the question. saying that most Europeans were racists at that time is not right, especially among intellectuals.
2007-03-22 10:00:43 · answer #1 · answered by Yusef A. GHenime 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
Is Immanuel Kant a Racist?
Does he believe that all human beings are rational agents?
2015-08-06 17:32:23 · answer #2 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everyone, with almost no exceptions, in the 1700's was a racist in Western society, or at least would be considered so by today's standards. Faulting them for the zeitgeist of the time is wrong. Kant was a great man, and if he had been alive today, he would certainly not have been a racist.
2016-03-16 03:01:53 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that you've got the wrong picture. Immanuel Kant was a romanticist, meaning that his views on everything were quite blurred. And yes, during the time many nationalities were prejudiced against others, but not in the way we are today. Your question is somewhat confusing; you might want to add some details in exactly where you are coming from.
2007-03-22 09:58:11 · answer #4 · answered by squirrelgirl 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think you mean, was Immanuel Kant a racist, to which the answer is, yes, like most Europeans at that time he was racist, however his philosophy isn't as, like you say, he also believed that all humans where rational agents. The way he got around this was by only classifying whites as human.
2007-03-22 10:29:22 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋