Our political world would be unthinkable without the Enlightenment. In the 18th century, kings and princes still largely ruled; at the same time, Enlightenment thinkers such as Kant demanded the freedom and equality of citizens. In the USA and in France the first modern democracies emerged.
In his later years, Kant turned increasingly to political questions. Only in a state under the rule of law can we, according to Kant, truly be free. In his treatise Perpetual Peace, he also sketched a comprehensive concept of peace.
The Enlightenment marked a milestone in the history of human rights. Fundamental rights – equality before the law, freedom of opinion or of belief – were formulated. Yet Kant and many of his contemporaries did not include all human beings equally. Today, the further-reaching question arises as to what rights animals possess. What might our political debates learn from Kant and the Enlightenment?