History of European Ideas 30 (2004) 315–328 Kant on Hobbes, peace, and obedience Timo Airaksinen*, Arto Siitonen Department of Philosophy, Helsinki University, Box 9, Siltavuorenpenger 20 A, Helsinki 00014, Finland Abstract Kant’sessay‘Onthecommonsaying:‘‘Thismaybetrueintheory,butitdoesnotapplyin practice’’’ contains a chapter ‘On the relationship of theory to practice in political right’ to whichheadded,inbrackets,‘(AgainstHobbes)’.TheproblemisthatKantleaveshisHobbes- criticismimplicit.ThemainpointseemstobetheHobbes’scitizensarewithoutanyrights.We explore the differences and similarities between Kant’s and Hobbes’s political views and evaluatetheeffectivenessofKant’scriticism.WepayattentiontoNominalismandPlatonism, the idea of happiness in social life, the use and role of the Golden Rule (Categorical Imperative) in political thought, the quest for freedom, and the principle of political non- resistance. Especially freedom of speech is important for Kant as an Enlightenment thinker. This is the only right Kant’s citizens may have, independently of the sovereign’s will. Our conclusion is that both Kant and Hobbes emphasize peace and order under sovereign power although they do not agree on how such an ideal can be achieved. r 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction ImmanuelKant’sessay‘Onthecommonsaying:‘‘Thismaybetrueintheory,but it does not apply in practice’’’ contains a chapter ‘On the relationship of theory to practice in political right’ to which he added, in brackets, ‘(Against Hobbes)’. 1 Yet ARTICLE IN PRESS *Corresponding author. E-mail address: timo.airaksinen@helsinki.fi (T. Airaksinen). 1 Kant’s Political Writings. Ed. Hans Reiss. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1970). This volumecontains‘Ananswertothequestion:‘‘Whatisenlightenment’’’(1784,abbr.Enlightenment),‘On the common saying: ‘‘This may be true in theory but it does not apply in practice’’’ (1793, abbr. Theory and Practice), Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch (1795, abbr. Perpetual Peace), and ‘A renewed attempt to answer the question: ‘‘Is the human race continually improving?’’’ from The Contest of Faculties (1798, abbr. Contest of Faculties). All references are to the pages. 0191-6599/$-see front matter r 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.histeuroideas.2004.06.002