Lara Scaglia

In this article, I employ conceptual tools of Kant’s theoretical philosophy (schemata and ideas) to interpret two of his practical theories—the ethical community and perpetual peace—as models of eutopianism, that is, as representations of the good place in which peace prevails and humanity strives toward moral perfection. After explaining my preference for the term “eutopia” over the more classical “utopia” to describe these models, I clarify the conceptual framework of eutopianism by examining Kant’s use of schemata and ideas. I then use these conceptual resources to shed new light on Kant’s ideas of the ethical community and perpetual peace. Whereas some scholars have recently employed conceptual tools from Kant’s practical philosophy to illuminate aspects of his theoretical philosophy (Aramayo, 2004; Fleischacker, 2015; Møller, 2020; Pievatolo, 1999), my approach proceeds in the opposite direction. This methodology is warranted, given that Kant himself draws on conceptual tools from his theoretical philosophy when discussing both the ethical community and perpetual peace.

Building on Kant’s idea of the ‘free play of the imagination’, we argue that sexual fantasy reveals both deep insights into our desires and emotional wounds as well as the impact of oppressive conditions on our sexual selves. After clarifying Kant’s distinctions between experience, dreams, and fantasy, insofar as they are important to defining the unique character of sexual fantasy, and incorporating feminist theories of fantasy and pornography into our reading of Kant and sexual fantasy, we examine the intersection of aesthetic expression and moral significance, suggesting that fantasy is not morally neutral but deeply formative; indeed, viewed comprehensively, sexual fantasy can become a site for wise personal resistance and growth. In particular, and contrary to what seems to be Kant’s own worry, a Kantian view of sexual fantasy can provide resources for liberation from a tendency to regard oneself, and others, as mere objects in sexual fantasy, towards a more integrated sense of our multifaceted nature.