Papers by Joris van Gorkom
Kantian Review
Abstract
This article examines Immanuel Kant’s evolving ideas on race and inheritance, focusing ... more Abstract
This article examines Immanuel Kant’s evolving ideas on race and inheritance, focusing on his early lectures on physical geography. It highlights his engagement with contemporary debates on physiological defects and adaptation. The notes of Georg Hesse, a student of Kant, are analysed to show how Kant's ideas matured before his first published essay on race in 1775. The article also contextualizes Kant’s relationship with the works of Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis and Henry Baker, showing how their studies on hereditary anomalies influenced Kant’s ideas. Finally, it sheds light on how Kant navigated the challenges of explaining race and inheritance, balancing environmental and hereditary factors in his conceptualization of human variation.
Tijdschrift voor Filosofie, 2024
This article explores the assertion advanced by numerous commentators
that Immanuel Kant explici... more This article explores the assertion advanced by numerous commentators
that Immanuel Kant explicitly condemned slavery in his works. Against the
backdrop of contemporary struggles with the legacy of slavery, it analyzes
passages on slavery from Kant’s writings, which these commentators often
cite as evidence of his explicit condemnation of the practice. Through a close
examination of these passages, the article aims to evaluate the validity of
such claims, shedding light on the complexities of comprehending Kant’s
stance on this critical moral issue.
Critical Philosophy of Race, 2025
Racism is a societal problem, which means that it should (also) be analyzed on an
institutional,... more Racism is a societal problem, which means that it should (also) be analyzed on an
institutional, structural, and systemic level. When critiques of racism focus solely on
particular beliefs, they overlook its broader manifestations. This article does not aim to
ascertain Kant’s personal stance on race, but, rather, to shed light on a blind spot in
our own understanding of racism. It explores this through Kant’s endorsement of
serfdom. We should not simply stay at the level of moral principles because Kant
created a carve-out in his moral and legal philosophy for criminals, and the American
version of this carve-out in the Thirteenth Amendment laid the groundwork for the racial
American carceral system. This article seeks to illustrate that racism extends beyond
beliefs, actively shaping societal structures. This helps us gain insights into how it has
shaped contemporary society and institutions; that is, it helps us comprehend why
racial disparities and inequalities persist in the present day
The Southern Journal of Philosophy (forthcoming)
Jacques Derrida’s claim that Immanuel Kant was the most rigorous defender of the death penalty ha... more Jacques Derrida’s claim that Immanuel Kant was the most rigorous defender of the death penalty has rekindled interest in this topic in the context of Kant’s work. Understandably, most articles have focused on Kant’s The Metaphysics of Morals, in which he defends the legitimacy of capital punishment. However, many of these readings ignore the fact that the death penalty is a recurring theme in his writing. This article explores references to this capital punishment in Kant’s Critique of Practical Reason and uncovers a consistent theme: the connection between morality and acts of self-sacrifice. It aims to demonstrate the challenges of formulating a philosophical argument for the abolition of the death penalty.
Tijdschrift voor Filosofie, 2005
‘De legitimatie van het alsof: De “marginale” discussie tussen Lyotard en Nancy’ . Over de figuur... more ‘De legitimatie van het alsof: De “marginale” discussie tussen Lyotard en Nancy’ . Over de figuur van het 'alsof' in het recht en de wet. Vergelijking tussen de perspectieven van Jean-Francois Lyotard en Jean-Luc Nancy.
Both Jean-François Lyotard and Jean-Luc Nancy have tried to understand the law within the heterogeneity of society by means of Kant's notion of 'as if'. Kant introduced this notion in order to respect the gap between reason and intuition; Lyotard and Nancy took it up to explain the lack of unity in society. In the margins of their work — footnotes and postscripts — they have discussed this theme and searched for the presuppositions and risks of each others position, as a result of which the 'as if' is considered from different perspectives and the philosophies of Lyotard and Nancy are illuminated inopposition to each other. Although this discussion commenced in the seventies, this theme is currently more topical than ever as is clear from the development of the Europeanand Iraqi constitutions. An analysis of the complex discussion between Lyotard and Nancy is given to provide insight into the principles that constitute the law. Both Lyotard and Nancy are trying to solve the problem of how to judge without a given rule. Lyotardis mainly concerned with understanding the 'as if' as an attempt to respect heterogeneity, while Nancy criticizes Lyotard for ignoring the constitution of this heterogeneity.Nancy uses the notion of 'dislocation' to understand both every case as an accident andthe neglect of this aspect by the jurisdiction. At the same time, we will elaborate on the reception of the Kantian thinking in French philosophy. Although the importance of well-known notions such as the sublime have been emphasized many times, the relevance of the 'as if' has not been thoroughly investigated. It will be shown that the notion ofthe 'as if' can be fruitful for understanding the creative element of jurisdiction, that is, for judging without rules.
Open access cia: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40889891
Tijdschrift Voor Filosofie, 2010
Joris van Gorkom (1978) is recentelijk gepromoveerd aan de Universiteit van Tilburg op een proefs... more Joris van Gorkom (1978) is recentelijk gepromoveerd aan de Universiteit van Tilburg op een proefschrift over Kant, Heidegger en Derrida, met speciale aandacht voor het schematisme van Kant. Tegenwoordig is hij werkzaam aan deze universiteit. 1 H. Arendt, De banaliteit van het kwaad. Een reportage. Vert. W.J.P. Scholtz, Amsterdam, Moussault, 1969, p. 144.
Thesis Chapters by Joris van Gorkom
The Third One: Imagination in Kant, Heidegger and Derrida, 2009
Kant and Racism by Joris van Gorkom
Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 2024
Send me a message if you want to read the article. \\ Abstract:
Around... more Send me a message if you want to read the article. \\ Abstract:
Around 1788, Johann Friedrich Blumenbach compiled a list of notable contributions to the discussion on Kant’s concept of race. This list included references to Kant’s second and third essays on race, Georg Forster’s 1786 response, and two essays by Johann Daniel Metzger. Blumenbach’s compilation stands in stark contrast to contemporary discussions of Kant’s racial theories. Despite the increasing interest in this subject, Metzger’s critiques are still largely unnoticed. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of 18th-century discussions on race, it is crucial to broaden our perspective beyond the viewpoints of Johann Gottfried Herder and Forster and include Metzger’s contributions. In this article, I aim to elucidate (the context surrounding) Metzger’s endeavors to engage with Kant’s concept of race.
Philosophy in the Contemporary World, 2008
Immanuel Kant enshrined the modem notion of race. Many commentators prefer to ignore this aspect ... more Immanuel Kant enshrined the modem notion of race. Many commentators prefer to ignore this aspect of Kant’s thinking, considering it to be out-dated, merely a remnant of eighteenth century philosophy or bad science. This article will examine Kant’s racial theory within the context of his wider work, and mainly so with regard to the teleological principle. Kant often presents his new notion of race and racial differences in relation to teleology, i.e., he used races as an example for understanding the teleological principle. The aim of this article is to understand the relationship between Kant’s racial theory and his teleology, which is essential for comprehending his cosmopolitanism. Instead of merely discarding the racist remarks in Kant’s work as marginal and distracting from his central argument, the article will show that Kant’s teleology is a means for him to exclude non-white races from a positive, moral development of a culture.
Joris van Gorkom "[ ... ] deze kerel was van kop tot teen geheel zwart, een duidelijk bewijs dat ... more Joris van Gorkom "[ ... ] deze kerel was van kop tot teen geheel zwart, een duidelijk bewijs dat wat hij zei dom was." (Immanuel Kant, Beobachtungen über das Gefühl des Schönen und Erhabenen)
In this essay, I discuss Kant's views on the "American race." Robert Bernasconi has pointed out t... more In this essay, I discuss Kant's views on the "American race." Robert Bernasconi has pointed out that more research on the sources of Kant's ideas on non-white races is needed in order to have a better understanding of his racism. This essay responds to that call in order to show how Kant contributed to ongoing discussions on the causes and meaning of human differences. However, I will also focus on his influence on his contemporaries. The reason for doing so is twofold. Firstly, I will question Irene Tucker's recent attempt to show that skin color was considered a racial sign because of its supposed self-evidence and immediate legibility. By way of a presentation of Kant's views on the "American race," I will show that race mixing formed the core of Kant's racial theory and not the alleged immediacy of racial sight. Secondly, I will focus on his influence in order to question the popular idea that Kant had in his late work developed second thoughts on his racial hierarchy. His appraisal of the work of one of his contemporaries (Christoph Girtanner) clearly shows that the matter is far more complicated than suggested in these interpretations of Kant's racial work.
Critical Philosophy of Race, 2019
This article shows that Johann Gottlieb Steeb supported different aspects of Kant's theory of rac... more This article shows that Johann Gottlieb Steeb supported different aspects of Kant's theory of race. Despite the growing research on Kant's racial and biological theory, one finds no mention of Steeb in these interpretations. However, his work is relevant because of his attempt in 1785 to synthesize Kant's preformationist terminology with Blumenbach's epigenetic theory. This article aims at understanding this synthesis. Recent interpreters of Kant presuppose that preformationism excluded epigenesis. But already in 1785 Steeb saw the possibility of integrating Kant's germs into a discourse that was to a large extent dominated by Blumenbach. Steeb's synthesis primarily implied that the concepts of germs and race could be amended to Blumenbach's understanding of human diversity.
History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Apr 28, 2020
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Although much attention has already been paid ... more Read full article here: https://rdcu.be/b3Rex
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Although much attention has already been paid to Kant’s ideas on race, more research is needed to determine the sources that he used to support his portrayal of non-white races. A comprehension of the intellectual context gives us the opportunity to see the way in which Kant wished to contribute to discussions on inheritable human characteristics and the inferiority of certain races. This article will emphasize the relevance of the views of Joseph Priestley and Alexander Wilson for Kant’s hypothesis on the relation between phlogiston and the black race. This allows us to comprehend the methodology that Kant prescribed for natural history and its consequences for his understanding of the inferiority of the black race.
Journal of the History of Ideas, 2020
What is too often lacking in contemporary interpretations of Immanuel Kant's racial thinking is a... more What is too often lacking in contemporary interpretations of Immanuel Kant's racial thinking is a more thorough overview of the context and of the literature that he used to support his ideas. This article is mainly limited to Kant's brief discussion on race mixing at the end of this 1785 essay. He presented there the cases of the gypsies, the black Portuguese, and the Jews on St. Thomas in order to show the consequences of this practice. A contextual understanding will reveal how Kant wished to contribute to on-going discussions and how he used his source material.
Critical Philosophy of Race, 2022
When in 1786 Georg Forster criticized Immanuel Kant’s racial theory, he famously challenged him t... more When in 1786 Georg Forster criticized Immanuel Kant’s racial theory, he famously challenged him to oppose slavery. Although Kant declined to take up this challenge, the discussion between Forster and Kant was the impetus for Johann Gottlieb Stoll to present his views on the matter. In his defense of monogenesis Stoll did what Kant had failed to do, namely explicitly criticize oppressive institutions like the slave trade and slavery with a demand to respect the dignity and humanity of every human being, independent of their physiological traits. Although his work has been ignored ever since its publication, he offered an even greater challenge to Kant than Forster. He defended the idea that so-called race mixing not only proved the unity of the human species but was also not contrary to nature. Not only did he distance himself from Kant but also from Forster. He challenged his readers to consider the ability of non-Whites to be an example for Whites.
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Papers by Joris van Gorkom
This article examines Immanuel Kant’s evolving ideas on race and inheritance, focusing on his early lectures on physical geography. It highlights his engagement with contemporary debates on physiological defects and adaptation. The notes of Georg Hesse, a student of Kant, are analysed to show how Kant's ideas matured before his first published essay on race in 1775. The article also contextualizes Kant’s relationship with the works of Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis and Henry Baker, showing how their studies on hereditary anomalies influenced Kant’s ideas. Finally, it sheds light on how Kant navigated the challenges of explaining race and inheritance, balancing environmental and hereditary factors in his conceptualization of human variation.
that Immanuel Kant explicitly condemned slavery in his works. Against the
backdrop of contemporary struggles with the legacy of slavery, it analyzes
passages on slavery from Kant’s writings, which these commentators often
cite as evidence of his explicit condemnation of the practice. Through a close
examination of these passages, the article aims to evaluate the validity of
such claims, shedding light on the complexities of comprehending Kant’s
stance on this critical moral issue.
institutional, structural, and systemic level. When critiques of racism focus solely on
particular beliefs, they overlook its broader manifestations. This article does not aim to
ascertain Kant’s personal stance on race, but, rather, to shed light on a blind spot in
our own understanding of racism. It explores this through Kant’s endorsement of
serfdom. We should not simply stay at the level of moral principles because Kant
created a carve-out in his moral and legal philosophy for criminals, and the American
version of this carve-out in the Thirteenth Amendment laid the groundwork for the racial
American carceral system. This article seeks to illustrate that racism extends beyond
beliefs, actively shaping societal structures. This helps us gain insights into how it has
shaped contemporary society and institutions; that is, it helps us comprehend why
racial disparities and inequalities persist in the present day
Both Jean-François Lyotard and Jean-Luc Nancy have tried to understand the law within the heterogeneity of society by means of Kant's notion of 'as if'. Kant introduced this notion in order to respect the gap between reason and intuition; Lyotard and Nancy took it up to explain the lack of unity in society. In the margins of their work — footnotes and postscripts — they have discussed this theme and searched for the presuppositions and risks of each others position, as a result of which the 'as if' is considered from different perspectives and the philosophies of Lyotard and Nancy are illuminated inopposition to each other. Although this discussion commenced in the seventies, this theme is currently more topical than ever as is clear from the development of the Europeanand Iraqi constitutions. An analysis of the complex discussion between Lyotard and Nancy is given to provide insight into the principles that constitute the law. Both Lyotard and Nancy are trying to solve the problem of how to judge without a given rule. Lyotardis mainly concerned with understanding the 'as if' as an attempt to respect heterogeneity, while Nancy criticizes Lyotard for ignoring the constitution of this heterogeneity.Nancy uses the notion of 'dislocation' to understand both every case as an accident andthe neglect of this aspect by the jurisdiction. At the same time, we will elaborate on the reception of the Kantian thinking in French philosophy. Although the importance of well-known notions such as the sublime have been emphasized many times, the relevance of the 'as if' has not been thoroughly investigated. It will be shown that the notion ofthe 'as if' can be fruitful for understanding the creative element of jurisdiction, that is, for judging without rules.
Open access cia: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40889891
Thesis Chapters by Joris van Gorkom
Kant and Racism by Joris van Gorkom
Around 1788, Johann Friedrich Blumenbach compiled a list of notable contributions to the discussion on Kant’s concept of race. This list included references to Kant’s second and third essays on race, Georg Forster’s 1786 response, and two essays by Johann Daniel Metzger. Blumenbach’s compilation stands in stark contrast to contemporary discussions of Kant’s racial theories. Despite the increasing interest in this subject, Metzger’s critiques are still largely unnoticed. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of 18th-century discussions on race, it is crucial to broaden our perspective beyond the viewpoints of Johann Gottfried Herder and Forster and include Metzger’s contributions. In this article, I aim to elucidate (the context surrounding) Metzger’s endeavors to engage with Kant’s concept of race.
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Although much attention has already been paid to Kant’s ideas on race, more research is needed to determine the sources that he used to support his portrayal of non-white races. A comprehension of the intellectual context gives us the opportunity to see the way in which Kant wished to contribute to discussions on inheritable human characteristics and the inferiority of certain races. This article will emphasize the relevance of the views of Joseph Priestley and Alexander Wilson for Kant’s hypothesis on the relation between phlogiston and the black race. This allows us to comprehend the methodology that Kant prescribed for natural history and its consequences for his understanding of the inferiority of the black race.
This article examines Immanuel Kant’s evolving ideas on race and inheritance, focusing on his early lectures on physical geography. It highlights his engagement with contemporary debates on physiological defects and adaptation. The notes of Georg Hesse, a student of Kant, are analysed to show how Kant's ideas matured before his first published essay on race in 1775. The article also contextualizes Kant’s relationship with the works of Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis and Henry Baker, showing how their studies on hereditary anomalies influenced Kant’s ideas. Finally, it sheds light on how Kant navigated the challenges of explaining race and inheritance, balancing environmental and hereditary factors in his conceptualization of human variation.
that Immanuel Kant explicitly condemned slavery in his works. Against the
backdrop of contemporary struggles with the legacy of slavery, it analyzes
passages on slavery from Kant’s writings, which these commentators often
cite as evidence of his explicit condemnation of the practice. Through a close
examination of these passages, the article aims to evaluate the validity of
such claims, shedding light on the complexities of comprehending Kant’s
stance on this critical moral issue.
institutional, structural, and systemic level. When critiques of racism focus solely on
particular beliefs, they overlook its broader manifestations. This article does not aim to
ascertain Kant’s personal stance on race, but, rather, to shed light on a blind spot in
our own understanding of racism. It explores this through Kant’s endorsement of
serfdom. We should not simply stay at the level of moral principles because Kant
created a carve-out in his moral and legal philosophy for criminals, and the American
version of this carve-out in the Thirteenth Amendment laid the groundwork for the racial
American carceral system. This article seeks to illustrate that racism extends beyond
beliefs, actively shaping societal structures. This helps us gain insights into how it has
shaped contemporary society and institutions; that is, it helps us comprehend why
racial disparities and inequalities persist in the present day
Both Jean-François Lyotard and Jean-Luc Nancy have tried to understand the law within the heterogeneity of society by means of Kant's notion of 'as if'. Kant introduced this notion in order to respect the gap between reason and intuition; Lyotard and Nancy took it up to explain the lack of unity in society. In the margins of their work — footnotes and postscripts — they have discussed this theme and searched for the presuppositions and risks of each others position, as a result of which the 'as if' is considered from different perspectives and the philosophies of Lyotard and Nancy are illuminated inopposition to each other. Although this discussion commenced in the seventies, this theme is currently more topical than ever as is clear from the development of the Europeanand Iraqi constitutions. An analysis of the complex discussion between Lyotard and Nancy is given to provide insight into the principles that constitute the law. Both Lyotard and Nancy are trying to solve the problem of how to judge without a given rule. Lyotardis mainly concerned with understanding the 'as if' as an attempt to respect heterogeneity, while Nancy criticizes Lyotard for ignoring the constitution of this heterogeneity.Nancy uses the notion of 'dislocation' to understand both every case as an accident andthe neglect of this aspect by the jurisdiction. At the same time, we will elaborate on the reception of the Kantian thinking in French philosophy. Although the importance of well-known notions such as the sublime have been emphasized many times, the relevance of the 'as if' has not been thoroughly investigated. It will be shown that the notion ofthe 'as if' can be fruitful for understanding the creative element of jurisdiction, that is, for judging without rules.
Open access cia: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40889891
Around 1788, Johann Friedrich Blumenbach compiled a list of notable contributions to the discussion on Kant’s concept of race. This list included references to Kant’s second and third essays on race, Georg Forster’s 1786 response, and two essays by Johann Daniel Metzger. Blumenbach’s compilation stands in stark contrast to contemporary discussions of Kant’s racial theories. Despite the increasing interest in this subject, Metzger’s critiques are still largely unnoticed. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of 18th-century discussions on race, it is crucial to broaden our perspective beyond the viewpoints of Johann Gottfried Herder and Forster and include Metzger’s contributions. In this article, I aim to elucidate (the context surrounding) Metzger’s endeavors to engage with Kant’s concept of race.
--
Although much attention has already been paid to Kant’s ideas on race, more research is needed to determine the sources that he used to support his portrayal of non-white races. A comprehension of the intellectual context gives us the opportunity to see the way in which Kant wished to contribute to discussions on inheritable human characteristics and the inferiority of certain races. This article will emphasize the relevance of the views of Joseph Priestley and Alexander Wilson for Kant’s hypothesis on the relation between phlogiston and the black race. This allows us to comprehend the methodology that Kant prescribed for natural history and its consequences for his understanding of the inferiority of the black race.