The Role of the University and Philosophy

2021/01/14

I conduct research on the legal philosophy of Immanuel Kant, an 18th-century German philosopher. Although I have a background in the Major in Ethics, I originally had an interest in social systems, which led me to study legal philosophy and political philosophy. Within Kantian philosophy, known for works such as the "Critique of Pure Reason," legal philosophy is a relatively obscure field. However, through Kant, I pursue the question of what law should be for human beings as free, rational beings.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak on the theme of the relationship between the state and civic virtue in Kant. This might seem surprising to anyone who has even a slight familiarity with Kant's practical philosophy, as Kant advocated for a strict distinction between law and ethics and believed that the purpose of the state was not to make people virtuous. However, rereading Kant's final work, "The Conflict of the Faculties," suggests that while the issues of the state and virtue can be separated, there is another perspective to consider.

"The Conflict of the Faculties" focuses on the relationship between the "higher faculties"—the Faculty of Theology, the Faculty of Law, and the School of Medicine—and the "lower faculty," the Faculty of Philosophy. In modern terms, it is a treatise on the university. In Kant's time, moral education was the responsibility of the Christian church. The state dealt with law, which concerns only the external nature of actions, while religion and the church, which deal with the internal mind, were outside the state's jurisdiction. However, the fact that the university—a secular organization authorized by the king—was responsible for theological research indicates that the state is involved in internal matters of the mind. So, what role does the university fulfill? According to Kant, the doctrines of existing religions are historically constructed and are not necessarily rational. The university must not only conduct philological research on these doctrines and biblical descriptions but also teach how to judge whether they can be accepted as valid. And the department that provides the criteria for that judgment is the Faculty of Philosophy. For Kant, the significance of the university lies in its ability to exist within society while enabling a rational and critical perspective on that society.

Although the situation today is different from the era in which Kant lived, a few years before publishing this book, Kant experienced censorship and had his writing activities restricted. While there are difficulties in speaking about morality and law within a tense relationship with society, I want to continue thinking about the role of the university and the significance of philosophy that Kant dared to express in that situation.