Carlos Peña
Why Do We Need Kant?
The central problem in the contemporary world is particularism. Modern culture is a mosaic—a pantheon—of many values and forms of life that are different and incomparable. Kant’s work makes it possible to erect a universal point of view in politics and morals without sacrificing diversity. From these points of view, Kant is a remedy for multiculturalism and antifoundationalism. Without this point of view, democracy would be a particular expression of European culture without a title or legitimacy to promote human rights and equality in the rest of the world.
Carlos Peña is a lawyer and PhD in Philosophy (University of Chile), with post graduate studies in sociology. At present, he is rector of the Diego Portales Uni
versity (Santiago de Chile) and columnist in the main Chilean newspaper. Among other books, he has published Studies on Rawls (2014), Why does philosophy matter? (2017), Thinking the malaise (2021), Politics of Identity. Hell are the others? (2022), Sons without fathers (2023).
Vortrag im Rahmen der Tagung Enlightenment in the World
Lecture at the conference Enlightenment in the World