Johann Gottfried Herder and Immanuel Kant were both critics of despotism, imperialism and colonialism yet held sharply diverging views on epistemology, anthropology, and the foundations of morality. From 1785 on Herder also developed a sustained though mostly implicit critique of various aspects of his erstwhile mentor’s political thought, including his ideal of perpetual peace. The talk will focus specifically on Herder’s critique of Kant’s evolving theories of the modern state and international order and on his alternative vision of the possible pacification of Europe.
