The author of this text argues that Kant's ethical vision is grounded in the idea of the dignity of the rational nature of every human being. Undergoing both natural competitiveness and social antagonism the human species, according to Kant, develops the rational capacity to struggle against its impulses towards a human community in which the ends of all are to harmonize and coincide. The book focuses on the central role played in Kant's ethical theory by the value of rational nature as an end itself. It also aims to show the importance of Kant's systematic theory of human nature and history, and its implications for the structure, formulation, and application of Kant's moral principles.
