Would devils be devils with theoretical reason alone under a Kantian account?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/sk.v23i2.100471

Keywords:

devils, evil, imputability, perpetual peace, practical reason, understanding

Abstract

This paper focuses on Kant’s Towards Perpetual Peace famous statement according to which the problem of the State can be solved even for a race of devils, at least if they possess understanding. Its aim is to show that, despite Kant’s phrasing, understood as possessing the power of understanding alone, a devil would not be evil, nor accountable for his acts. A substantive account of this devil’s rationality can and shall be developed on the basis of Kant’s approach to practical agency in general. In this sense, understood as a rational being capable of end-setting under practical laws, a devil would have to be taken as an egotistical being who systematically acts out of self-interest. Under this presupposition, and at least from a juridical point of view in Kant, the hypothesis of a nation of devils offers a more interesting case for analysis.

Author Biography

Gehad Marcon Bark, UFPR

Doutor e mestre pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Filosofia da Universidade Federal do Paraná. Bacharel em Direito pela Faculdade de Direito de Curitiba e Filosofia pela Universidade Federal do Paraná, com especialização em Filosofia, Conhecimento e Educação pela Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia e especialização em Docência no Ensino Superior pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul. Estágio de Pós-Doutorado em andamento junto ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Filosofia UFPR, sob a supervisão do Prof.º Dr.º Joel Thiago Klein, com parte da pesquisa desenvolvida com bolsa Capes/PROBRAL-DAAD na Universität Vechta (Alemanha). Membro do grupo de pesquisa Perspectivas Kantianas sobre as causas da irracionalidade social. Atua, com ênfase, na discussão de temas relacionados à filosofia teórica e prática de Kant, sua retomada e interpretação por filósofos contemporâneos. Possui interesse por questões diversas nos campos da Ética, da Filosofia do Direito, da Filosofia Política e da Epistemologia. Ministra aulas em módulos dos cursos ofertados pela Universidade Livre para a Eficiência Humana (Unilehu) nas áreas de Direito e Filosofia. Integrou o gabinete da Desembargadora Sônia Regina de Castro, no Tribunal de Justiça do Estado do Paraná, de março de 2008 a maio de 2024, até a aposentadoria da magistrada. Possui, assim, paralelamente ao âmbito de atuação acadêmica, experiência em direito penal e direito processual penal.

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Published

2025-08-31

How to Cite

Marcon Bark, G. (2025). Would devils be devils with theoretical reason alone under a Kantian account?. Studia Kantiana, 23(2), 31–46. https://doi.org/10.5380/sk.v23i2.100471

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 2 (2025)

Section

Papers

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