Scholz forbids Putin from quoting Immanuel Kant

Russia is trying to appropriate German philosopher Immanuel Kant and his works for no particular reason, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

According to Scholz, Russia is attempting "to appropriate Kant and his works at any cost," even though Russia's policies allegedly contradict the basic framework of his teachings, Welt reports.

In this regard, the German chancellor believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin should not quote the German philosopher, because the Russian leader "does not have the slightest grounds to refer to Kant."

On April 22, Kaliningrad region Governor Anton Alikhanov said that German philosopher Immanuel Kant was related to the special operation in Ukraine. Kant raised the German will to a new level, while cutting it off from higher values, Alikhanov pointed out. According to the politician, Kant is relevant to the situation in Ukraine, as well as to everything that has been happening in the world.

Earlier Vladimir Putin spoke of German philosopher Immanuel Kant as one of the great thinkers, whose calls to live with one's own mind were still relevant today.

"Immanuel Kant believed that one could logically prove the existence of God - these are complex things... but they are very interesting. You should read his works and delve into what he was saying, writing and thinking. Kant is one of the greatest thinkers of both his and ours time. Of course, his call to live with one's own mind is still relevant today,” Putin said at a meeting with students from universities in the Kaliningrad region in January 2024.