Kant’s Cosmopolitanism and the Value of Humanity – Implications for a Universal Right to Citizenship

Abstract

In this paper, I argue that Kant’s practical philosophy gives ground to a universal right to citizenship, i. e., that human beings have not only an innate right to freedom but also an acquired yet pre-political right not to be excluded from becoming a citizen of a state. In the first step of my analysis, I assert that the categorical imperative obliges us to consider all human beings as ends-in-themselves, thus acknowledging their absolute value, i. e., dignity. I also claim that the categorical imperative points to human freedom and autonomy, which contribute to the moral personality of human beings. Further, I investigate how the concept of dignity translates into the legal personality of all humans and their innate and acquired rights. I briefly sketch the structure of Kant’s system of rights to indicate how individual rights can only be enjoyed within a civil condition of a state. While focusing on the concept of a universal right to citizenship as I understand it, I explain how a claim for such a right can be argued for within Kant’s legal theory, especially his idea of cosmopolitan right. In the last part of my paper, I indicate the connection between Kant’s legal and moral cosmopolitanism in order to project the universal moral duty to create conditions for every human to enjoy juridical rights.