Schemata and Ideas for a Kantian Eutopianism

In this article, I employ conceptual tools of Kant’s theoretical philosophy (schemata and ideas) to interpret two of his practical theories—the ethical community and perpetual peace—as models of eutopianism, that is, as representations of the good place in which peace prevails and humanity strives toward moral perfection. After explaining my preference for the term “eutopia” over the more classical “utopia” to describe these models, I clarify the conceptual framework of eutopianism by examining Kant’s use of schemata and ideas. I then use these conceptual resources to shed new light on Kant’s ideas of the ethical community and perpetual peace. Whereas some scholars have recently employed conceptual tools from Kant’s practical philosophy to illuminate aspects of his theoretical philosophy (Aramayo, 2004; Fleischacker, 2015; Møller, 2020; Pievatolo, 1999), my approach proceeds in the opposite direction. This methodology is warranted, given that Kant himself draws on conceptual tools from his theoretical philosophy when discussing both the ethical community and perpetual peace.