On the anthropological nature of Kant's assertion: “man is evil (universally) by nature”

Abstract

In “Religion within the Limits of Mere Reason”, Kant makes the claim that “man is evil by nature”. This claim has led to misunderstandings in the literature on several levels. One such misunderstanding stems from the lack of attention given to the fact that Kant attempts to prove this claim through an "anthropological investigation”. On the other hand, it is common to interpret this passage through readings such as Allison's, who argues that the proof is a priori and, thus, lacks empirical elements. However, proponents of both positions believe they have textual evidence to support their arguments. In this sense, based on Forschner's argument, it is proposed that the proof is, in fact, anthropological in nature, and there is no textual or systemic evidence to support Allison's position.