Germany argued with Russia over Kant

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Vladimir Putin has “not the slightest reason” to refer to Immanuel Kant, since his policies contradict the ideas of the philosopher. Scholz made this statement while speaking at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences at a ceremony in honor of the 300th anniversary of Kant’s birth, Die Zeit reports .

Scholz said Putin is using “many discouraging reasons” to justify his invasion of Ukraine. However, both the war he started and his attitude towards his own citizens contradict Kant's beliefs about human dignity and human rights, as well as about war and peace, the German Chancellor said.

Putin has “not the slightest reason” to refer to Kant’s works, but nevertheless his regime “continues to appropriate the philosopher and his work at any cost,” Scholz said. The Chancellor quoted several statements by Putin, one of which dates back to 2005. “Kant was categorically against resolving any interstate disputes through war. And we try to adhere to this part of his teaching,” Putin said then.

In 2024, Putin again spoke about the philosopher: “Kant is one of the greatest thinkers of both that time and ours. This is a fundamental thinker. Of course, his call to live by your own mind is as relevant today as possible. 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.

“This is absurd because Kant explicitly spoke out against government interference in the affairs of other countries,” Scholz said. Earlier, the governor of the Kaliningrad region, Anton Alikhanov, called Kant a “Russian trophy.”

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