Philanthropy and Cosmopolitanism: Karoline Reinhardt’s Essay published in a Cooperative Commentary on Kant’s “On Theory and Practice”

In his work “On the Common Saying: That May Be Correct in Theory, but It Is of No Use in Practice” (1793), Kant addresses the relevance of theoretical reflection for actual practices in everyday life and politics. Kant’s essay “On Theory and Practice” deserves particular attention as it marks the first time he publicly comments on specific issues that were fiercely debated among his contemporaries.

In her contribution “On the Relationship between Philanthropy and Cosmopolitanism in ‘On Theory and Practice’”, Prof. Dr. Karoline Reinhardt examines how the relation between philanthropy and cosmopolitanism is to be understood in Kant’s thought and discusses whether Kant’s argument is contradictory.