The Role of the University and Philosophy

I conduct research on the legal philosophy of Immanuel Kant, an 18th-century German philosopher. Although my background is in the Major in Ethics, I have always had an interest in social systems, which led me to study legal and political philosophy. Within Kantian philosophy, which is well-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.

By the way, I recently had the opportunity to speak on the theme of the relationship between the state and civic virtue in Kant. Those who have even a slight acquaintance with Kant's practical philosophy might find this surprising, 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, re-reading "The Conflict of the Faculties," a work from Kant's final years, suggests that while the issues of the state and virtue can be separated, a slightly different perspective is also possible.

"The Conflict of the Faculties" focuses on the relationship between the higher faculties—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 indicated that the state was involved in matters of the internal mind. So, what does the university achieve? 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, he says, is the faculty of philosophy. For Kant, the significance of the university lies in its ability to provide a rational and critical perspective on society while being situated within that very society.

The modern era differs from the times in which Kant lived, but 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 intend to continue thinking about the role of the university and the significance of philosophy that Kant dared to express in that situation.