Considerations about the Moral Progress in Immanuel Kant's Philosophy of History

Abstract

With this article, we aim to bring to light the basic foundations of the idea that moral progress acts in line with historical progress. In this sense, our general objective concerns the understanding of the place that moral progress occupies in Immanuel Kant's philosophy of history. Therefore, the study was conducted with the purpose of answering the following question: how does Kant understand the moral progress from the point of view of his philosophy of history? To answer this question, we have structured the work in three moments: initially, we will approach the theme from a theoretical point of view, using as a contribution the text “Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose”. In a second moment, we will work on Kant's practical justification for human progress, having as a guide the text "On the common sayin". Finally, we will address Kant's doctrine of the “highest good” and its possible relationship with the philosophy of history.