Kant on labor relations: an account of economic dependence from the perspective of social philosophy

Abstract

My paper addresses Kant’s account of labor from the standpoint of modern social philosophy as an often disregarded or ignored flipside of his republicanism. First, I broach the central role that work plays in Kant’s anthropological writings, stressing its Eurocentric traits. Second, I explore Kant’s theory of labor relations, focusing on the effects that labor dependence and independence have on his account of citizenship. Finally, I draw some conclusions bearing on the role that labor plays for meeting the goals of the Kantian republicanism.