The Political Cultivation of Moral Character: Kant on Public Moral Feeling as a Precondition for Right.

Does the liberal state have the legitimate power to shape the moral character of its citizenry? One common liberal answer, which draws on a traditional reading of Kant's distinction between morality and right, is 'no': the scope of state authority extends only to the external actions of individuals, not to their inner, moral lives. This article explores an alternative reading of Kant in which the liberal state defends individual rights yet also has the duty to supply the preconditions for enjoying those rights. One precondition is the moral character of the citizenry, even though the government's provision of this precondition would seem to undermine the 'external freedom' of citizens. The article thus both challenges a traditional interpretation of Kant's view of the state, and develops a liberal line of reasoning about moral character within a secular, pluralistic regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]