On Bookmaking: Letters to Friedrich Nicolai
Kant responds to Friedrich Nicolai about a fragment by Justus Möser and the relationship between political theory and experience. The discussion includes a defense of hereditary nobility.
Understanding the text
This 1798 polemic follows the Doctrine of Right and examines a posthumous Möser text published by Nicolai.
Key points
- 01
Publication
An editor presents an unfinished fragment he believes its author would have made public.
- 02
Heredity
The example of inherited offices opposes arguments from observed advantages to a question of political right.
- 03
Theory
A practical anecdote does not automatically settle the validity of principles for organizing a state.
How to read it
Identify the positions of Möser, Nicolai and Kant before assigning any claim to one of them.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗