Respublica noumenon

Kant, Rousseau, and Plato's Republic

Bibliographic Data

ID21395093
AuthorsMichael Kryluk (0009-0005-5466-1255, Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas University of Oslo Oslo Norway, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume63
Issue3
Pages387-409
Publication date2025-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Southern Journal of Philosophy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0038-4283 • E-ISSN: 2041-6962
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/sjp.12598
OpenAlexW4403517608
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited35

This article examines the philosophical sources for Kant's interpretation of Plato's Republic and its impact on his conception of the ideal state. I argue that Kant's knowledge of Plato was not derived from Plato's writings, but from secondary accounts. More specifically, I focus on four authors whose discussions of Plato influenced Kant's understanding of the perfect republic: Brucker, Cicero, Wolff, and Rousseau. Two main claims emerge. First, I show that Kant's appeal to the Republic intervenes in a longstanding debate about the irrational and “enthusiastic” character of Platonic idealism. Second, I emphasize Rousseau's role in instigating Kant's interest in Plato and shaping his conception of the perfect, fully self‐legislating republic that serves as the regulative norm of the state which existing regimes can and should strive to emulate. The result of my analysis is a better understanding of Kant's relationship to Plato and Rousseau, as well as the philosophical motivations behind his version of the ideal republic

Epistemology · Noumenon · Classical Philosophy and Thought · Philosophical Ethics and Theory · Philosophy · Rousseau and Enlightenment Thought