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<p>In the first half of&#xa0;<i>Religion</i> III, Kant constructs a developmental narrative in which human beings progress from the ethical state of nature to the establishment of an ethical community, positing that the latter can only be realized by human beings on earth in the form of a true church. Building upon Kant’s proposition that an eligible political community serves as a necessary yet insufficient precondition for the ethical community, this article proposes an alternative pathway for human beings to establish another humanly achievable form of an ethical community on earth. To substantiate this claim, the analysis systematically examines three constitutive dimensions: first, the origins and societal ramifications of the ethical state of nature as the social dynamic of vices; second, the essential characteristics of an eligible political community serving as the precondition for an ethical community; and third, a proposal for an alternative humanly achievable form of an ethical community on earth. This proposed form offers a practical guide for human beings to cultivate virtuous agency and sustain collective moral progress toward the highest possible good on earth.</p>

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Leaving the Ethical State of Nature in a Kantian Political Community

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年9月9日

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  • Songzi Bai

摘要

In the first half of Religion III, Kant constructs a developmental narrative in which human beings progress from the ethical state of nature to the establishment of an ethical community, positing that the latter can only be realized by human beings on earth in the form of a true church. Building upon Kant’s proposition that an eligible political community serves as a necessary yet insufficient precondition for the ethical community, this article proposes an alternative pathway for human beings to establish another humanly achievable form of an ethical community on earth. To substantiate this claim, the analysis systematically examines three constitutive dimensions: first, the origins and societal ramifications of the ethical state of nature as the social dynamic of vices; second, the essential characteristics of an eligible political community serving as the precondition for an ethical community; and third, a proposal for an alternative humanly achievable form of an ethical community on earth. This proposed form offers a practical guide for human beings to cultivate virtuous agency and sustain collective moral progress toward the highest possible good on earth.