The concept of Bürger in Kant's philosophy of law

Abstract

公民 (Bürger) 概念是康德法哲学的核心概念。将康德法哲学中关于公民的论述划分为三种不同语境，相应地，公民概念可区分为一般的、特定的和普遍的三重意义；对这三种意义的重新阐释，消释了康德公民概念的歧义，揭示了公民概念的理论演进及其普遍性、构成性及强制性特征。甄综韦伯关于市民和公民概念的考察，揭示康德公民概念的社会历史渊源， Bürger 一词从市民演变为公民是以权利普遍化为内在契机的，而公民乃是人在自己所构造起来的法[权利]体系中的一种存在形式。 The concept of Bürger (citizen) lies at the heart of Kant's philosophy of law, where it appears in three contexts. Correspondingly, we can distinguish three different senses of the concept: generic, specific and universal. Re‐interpretation of these three senses of the concept enables us to clarify ambiguities and show how this concept has evolved theoretically and how its characteristic features of universality, construction and coercion should be understood. On the basis of Max Weber's examination of the concepts of city dweller and citizen, we show the socio‐historical origins of the Kantian concept of Bürger. It can be seen that the mechanism for this term's evolution from the sense of “city dweller” to the sense of “citizen” is the universalization of rights. “Citizen” represents a mode of existence within the framework of Recht (law or right) that man himself has constructed.