Lecture
Kant and the Devil’s Pact in Politics

Join us celebrating Immanuel Kant and his lasting principles, this time with F. Budi Hardiman and moderator LG. Saraswati Putri on Kant and the Devil’s Pact in Politics.

Sat, 31.08.2024
06:00 GoetheHaus Jakarta

One of the fundamental issues in a democratic rule of law state is the relationship between morality and politics. Morality operates with the sincerity of a dove, while politics operates with the cunning of a snake. Aren't snakes and doves incompatible? Why would morality co-opting politics be as dangerous as politics co-opting morality? Francisco Budi Hardiman will discuss this issue in his lecture.
 
This issue will be examined based on Kant's slim book published in 1795, Zum ewigen Frieden (Perpetual Peace). In the book, after initially suspending morality by stating that a state could be established by a ‘group of devils’ as long as they had reason, however, Kant discusses the discrepancies and compatibilities between morality and politics in the appendix.
 
Kant's argument is highly relevant to the present-day political conditions in Indonesia, marked by two serious democratic scandals: religious radicalism and nepotism/corruption. Suppose that rational ‘devils’ wrote the constitution, then that devil's pact would be sufficient to guarantee pluralism and equality. Is this argument convincing?

Prof. F. Budi Hardiman
is a Professor of Philosophy at Universitas Pelita Harapan. He obtained his master's and doctoral degrees from the Hochschule für Philosophie in Munich, Germany, and was a lecturer at the Driyarkara School of Philosophy in Jakarta from 1992 to 2018, and a lecturer at Pelita Harapan University from 2001 to the present. Prof F. Budi Hardiman actively introduces the thought of German philosophers, such as Kant, Heidegger, Hannah Arendt, and Habermas in Indonesia. He wrote 16 titles of philosophy books, some of his works are: Demokrasi Deliberatif, Heidegger dan Mistik Keseharian, Aku Klik Maka Aku Ada, dan Kebenaran dan Para Kritikusnya.

LG. Saraswati Putri
is a Balinese poet, activist and academic. She is a lecturer at Universitas Indonesia, teaching on themes namely Ecofeminism, Ecological Philosophy, Eastern Philosophy, Philosophy of Literature and Phenomenology. She is the former Head of Undergraduate Philosophy Study from 2011 until 2016. She is currently the Head of Sub-directorate for Community Empowerment at Universitas Indonesia. She has written in various reputable Indonesian and International journals concerning literature, feminism, human rights, eastern philosophy and environmental ethics.