Kant, Autonomy, and Revolution

The concept of revolution occupies a prominent place in how modern societies understand themselves. The French and American revolutions, which essentially rested on a declaration of human rights, both gave the meaning of antiquity a place of prominence, especially in the idea that they had experienced a break with the past. In the Old and New Worlds, ideals about human society were projected into antiquity in order to elevate and criticize the achievements of the present. This present volume investigates the relationship between humanism and revolution from the American and European perspective: the elements of humanism, the relationship of politics and law, of art and politics, the Scientific Revolution as well as the geography of humanism and the connections between Europe and the New World are all discussed in this context. What repercussions did these various developments have for the idea of humanism? How current is the humanism of the 18th century?