Abstract: In this paper I discuss the following questions: How can we understand cosmopolitan agency and what does it mean to educate character and in particular a cosmopolitan one? I will develop a Kantian notion, one that suggests that we render ourselves efficacious and autonomous in education and elsewhere, and I critically assess a reading of his practical philosophy in educational theory by an Aristotelian. For an Aristotelian such as David Carr, the development of a “Kantian moral character is mainly a matter of conformity to the requirements of his categorical imperative, rather than – as for Aristotle – the development of a range of ratiocinative and desiderative sensibilities that are no less affective than cognitive.” He also claims that Kant defines autonomous moral agency in terms of “obedience to self-legislated general principles that are nonetheless independent of empirical evidence” and that the moral relevance of emotion and character, in Kant’s practical philosophy has a “top-down” character, and is “determined by reference to principles that nevertheless are logically independent of such states and dispositions.” We will see, however, that such readings are misleading and do not give a fair account of the practical philosophy of Immanuel Kant, nor do they capture the complexity and significance of it. I will also show that the relation between dispositions and principles is more nuanced than Carr seems to believe, and that it is indeed a question of developing our sensibility to our different kinds of dispositions – affected by, inter alia, different social and cultural conditions – through our conduct of thought (Denkungsart). More important is that I will show that Kant formulated valuable insights concerning how we can understand cosmopolitan agency, and what it can mean to educate character and in particular cosmopolitan character, insights that is of relevance for us today. That is, I will show that we can understand human agency in terms of efficacy and autonomy, and that it is not only “a matter of conformity”, nor “obedience” when it comes to how we can relate to the categorical imperative, but a question of whether we as human agents are motivated by it; I will also show that educating cosmopolitan character suggests that we develop our predispositions, that is, the technical, the pragmatic and the moral predisposition.

In this paper I reconstruct the practical philosophy of Immanuel Kant and in particular his mature moral philosophy and argue that it is of relevance for us today. I accomplish this by a close and critical reading of major works by Kant, and by critically assessing a reading of his practical philosophy in educational theory by an Aristotelian.

In this paper I will develop a Kantian notion, one that suggests we render ourselves efficacious and autonomous in education and elsewhere. This requires, inter alia, that we are successful in bringing about the intended result through our actions and the means used, and that we act in accordance with and are motivated by the categorical imperative. It also requires that we are or strive to become virtuous and engage in moral reflection, and that actions are done for the sake of duty, that is, out of respect for the moral law. We accomplish such aims by developing our predispositions, namely the technical, the pragmatic and the moral predisposition. The extent to which we achieve this demonstrates what we are prepared to make of ourselves, or so I will argue.