On Perpetual Peace

Kants landmark essay On Perpetual Peace is as timely, relevant, and inspiring today as when it was first written over 200 years ago. In it we find a forward-looking vision of a world respectful of human rights, dominated by liberal democracies, and united in a cosmopolitan federation of diverse peoples. The essay is an expression of global idealism that remains an enduring antidote to the violence and cynicism that are all too often on display in international relations and foreign affairs.

This book features a fresh and vigorous translation of Kants essay by Ian Johnston, and it includes an extended introduction by philosopher Brian Orend. The introduction situates Kants essay in its historical context and offers a substantial analysis, section by section, of the essay itself. In doing so, Orend not only discusses Kants personal life and the history of the perpetual peace tradition, he also shows how Kants provocative ideas have inspired and infused our own time, especially the concept of a global alliance of free societies committed to respecting human rights.