LEGITIMATION OF ETERNAL PEACE: MORAL, LEGAL AND POLITICAL ASPECTS

Abstract

B a c k g r o u n d . Immanuel Kant's research interest in the conceptual solution of practical social problems in the last period of the development of his philosophical searches is revealed. Attention is focused on Kant's work "Perpetual Peace", which is characterized as not only the most widespread, but also key for the transcendental understanding of both the foundations of cognition of social existence and the basic principles of its creation.

M e t h o d s . As the main method of studying the legitimation of perpetual peace, as conceptualized by Immanuel Kant, rational reconstruction, as it was substantiated by Richard Rorty, is chosen. It is proposed to distinguish three main strategies of such reconstruction: first, the legitimation of perpetual peace, based on the special practical needs of several social systems (law, politics, morality); second, the legitimation by perpetual peace as a general regulatory approach to individual ways of resolving social conflicts and other social problems; third, the transcendental understanding of perpetual peace as the constitution of the very foundations of social existence. The purpose of this article is to clarify the practical significance of the transcendental approach in studying the problem of building constructive social relations on the basis of the rational reconstruction of the concept of "perpetual peace" in Immanuel Kant.

R e s u l t s . Three strategies of rational reconstruction of perpetual peace as a method of legitimation for the assessment and solution of modern social problems have been applied – primarily in the moral, legal and political spheres. The inadmissibility of various forms of theoretical concessions to the requirements of achieving perpetual peace and the need for constant adjustments to the practical activities of citizens for a more consistent implementation of the values of perpetual peace have been revealed.

C o n c l u s i o n s . It has been found that achieving social order based on the recognition of the values of perpetual peace requires the mutual legitimation of the government and civil society, which results in the possibility of achieving a long-term and strong social contract, a certain good "concordance" between the government and civil society.