Kants 'Perpetual Peace' translated into children's book

‘Kant for Kids’

Immanuel Kant
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Starting from February this year the is running a project 'Kant for Kids' (working title). The initiative, carried out by a team of interns from different disciplinary fields, aims at translating six preliminary articles – the basic conditions for peace – of the famous treatise 'Perpetual Peace' by philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) into a book for children.

Peace as a shared horizon

'Kant for Kids' is part of the wider – an international research and cultural programme that takes on initiatives within multiple institutions, to provoke a renewed conversation on the possibility of peace as a shared contemporary horizon. The 'Kant for Kids' project takes form of a 6-month-long internship.
 
The goal of the project is to translate the concept of perpetual peace, and namely Kant’s six preliminary articles, into a terminology accessible and understandable for children. The translation thus entails not only adapting Kant’s text but also linking it to a contemporary political, social and economic context. The envisioned end result is a book for kids which could be used either as a stand-alone reading or incorporated into a wider course related to philosophy and/or politics. Throughout the project the team will consult with experts from different fields regarding the content and conceptual implementation of the project.

The team

Currently the team consists of the following members:
  • Brandon Pakker, MA student in Philosophy (Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ), who came up with the initial idea and proposed it to CfH;
  • Yvette Wijnandts, RMA student in Gender and Ethnicity (Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ);
  • Ruben van der Mark, MA student in Mediaeval and Renaissance Studies (Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ);
  • Toa Maes, MA in Literature and Cultural Criticism (Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ).

The advising experts include:

  • (Director, Centre for the Humanities);
  • Prof. Gregg Lambert (Syracuse ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ, one of the initiators of Perpetual Peace Project);
  • (Director, Centre for Conflict Studies at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ);
  • , CfH Artist in Residence.