Kant, Philosophy, and the Public

Focusing on Kant’s practical philosophy, I consider here how we best conceive of the public audiences for philosophical works and take up four categories particularly worth addressing. These are: Fellow philosophers; fellow academics; non-academics in positions of power or influence; and the public at large. I consider how Kant’s works addressed the first three of these audiences in his own time, and reflect on an instance where the decision to publish his views met with a significant warning. At the end, I take up Kant’s crucial fourth audience, the general public, both in his time and in our own.