There are a number of passages in Kant’s political writings in which he appears to deny to citizens any right whatever to resist political authority. Thus, in the essay, “Concerning the Common Saying: This May be True in Theory But Does Not Hold in Practice,” Kant argues that even when such authority is exercised in a way which violates what Kant himself takes to be the fundamental principles of justice, any act of resistance to it is a punishable act.

The following are some of the entries received in the contest presented in our March, 1960 issue. The starred essays were judged as winners and were awarded $25.00 prizes.

In discussing this work I will proceed as follows. First, I will describe briefly its aims and method. I will then criticize three ideas Adler uses to order and clarify the discussion of freedom. These are the idea of controversy and the related distinction between real and merely verbal disagreement; the idea of a generic understanding of freedom; and the idea of analogy used by Adler to suggest a solution to part of the controversy about freedom. Apart from their intrinsic (...) interest these ideas are a clue to understanding why Adler finds less rational discussion of the issues than expected; they are also a clue to his hope that "If the ideal of rational debate were... more fully approximated in the various controversies about freedom, that might lead to the resolution of some age-old issues or at least enable us to see why they are irresolvable". Finally, I will attempt a general appraisal of the work. (shrink)