German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has “no right” to refer to the work of Immanuel Kant, since Moscow’s current policies contradict the views of the philosopher.
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The newspaper Die Zeit quotes Scholz, who, speaking at a ceremony in honor of the philosopher’s tercentenary at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, said that “the Putin regime seeks to appropriate Kant and his work at any cost.”
According to Scholz, Kant’s ideas about human rights and human dignity, as well as his thoughts about war and peace, contradict everything that he does in his country and Ukraine. Separately, the Chancellor emphasized that the philosopher should not be used to justify aggressive war, violation of international law and despotism.
Scholz also cited several of Putin’s statements as examples. Thus, in 2005, the Russian dictator said that Russia was trying to adhere to Kant’s teachings on resolving interstate disputes.
I would like to remind you of one circumstance that I consider extremely important today. Kant was categorically against resolving any interstate disputes by war. And we are trying to adhere to his teaching in this part,” Putin said at the unveiling ceremony of a memorial plaque to the philosopher on the building of Kaliningrad University.
In January 2024, the dictator mentioned Kant again during a meeting with students in Kaliningrad.
Kant is one of the greatest thinkers of both his time and ours. This is a fundamental thinker. And, of course, his call to live by your own mind is very relevant today. That’s what we try to do. The country must live by its own wits. The country must be guided by its national interests, he said.
In turn, Scholz opposed such an interpretation of the philosopher’s views.
This is absurd because Kant directly opposed government interference in the affairs of other countries, he emphasized.
Shortly before Scholz’s speech, the governor of the Kaliningrad region, Anton Alikhanov, announced the need for a “large-scale audit” of the entire Kant.
The official made the corresponding statement at an event marking the philosopher’s 300th anniversary. He motivated his proposal by the fact that the ideas of philosophers need to be revised and interpreted in the spirit of the times, since this, according to Alikhanov, “is a form of the highest respect.”
Second reason: Kant for us is our Russian trophy. “Like everything you see near Kaliningrad,” the official said.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.