Kant’s trust in the political value of labour and global mobility. A non-ideal account of cosmopolitan normativity

Abstract

This account first endorses the normative strength of Kant’s cosmopolitan right, even if it is not lacking in non-ideal traits, and then takes issue with Flikschuh’s well-known interpretation of what she labels Kant’s “dilemma of sovereignty”. Second, I tease out some of the non-ideal features underpinning Kant’s cosmopolitanism with the help of the Kantian theory of labour, which in turn helps reveal the material conditions behind the qualifications of the subject who in Kant’s view is able to move through the world. Finally, I draw some conclusions about the advantages of a non-ideal approach for upgrading the normative value of global mobility in Kant’s juridical philosophy.