Olaf Scholz accused Russia of trying to “appropriate” Immanuel Kant. The Kaliningrad governor called Kant a “Russian trophy”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “does not have the slightest right” to refer to the works of Immanuel Kant, since Moscow’s current policies contradict the views of the philosopher, the newspaper Die Zeit reports.

Speaking at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences at a ceremony in honor of the philosopher’s tercentenary, Scholz also said that “Putin’s regime is committed to assign Kant and his work.

According to Scholz, Kant’s ideas about human rights and human dignity, as well as his thoughts on war and peace, contradict everything that Putin is doing in his country and Ukraine. Separately, the Chancellor emphasized that the philosopher should not be used to justify aggressive war, violation of international law and despotism.

Scholz also cited several of Putin’s statements as examples. Thus, in 2005, the Russian president said that Russia is trying to adhere to the teachings of Kant in the issue of resolving interstate disputes. “I would like to remind you of one circumstance that I consider extremely important for today. Kant was categorically against resolving any interstate disputes through war. And we are trying to adhere to his teachings in this regard,” Putin said at the unveiling ceremony of a memorial plaque to the philosopher on the building of the Kaliningrad University.

In January 2024, the president again mentioned Kant during a meeting with Kaliningrad students. “Kant is one of the greatest thinkers of both his time and ours. This is a fundamental thinker. And, of course, his call to live by your own mind is extremely relevant today. That’s what we try to do. The country must live by its own wits. The country must be guided by its national interests,” he said.

In turn, Scholz opposed such an interpretation of the philosopher’s views. “This is absurd because Kant directly opposed state interference in the affairs of other countries,” he emphasized.

Shortly before Scholz’s speech, the governor of the Kaliningrad region, Anton Alikhanov, announced the need for a “large-scale audit” of Kant’s entire legacy. The official made a corresponding statement at an event marking the philosopher’s tercentenary. He motivated his proposal by the fact that the ideas of philosophers need to be revised and interpreted in the spirit of the times, since this, according to Alikhanov, “is a form of the highest respect.” “The second reason: Kant for us is our Russian trophy. Like everything you see in the Kaliningrad region,” the official said.