Putin credits Immanuel Kant with authorship of European unification idea

NOVO-OGARYOVO, near Moscow. April 1 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed a suggestion for publishing works by German philosopher Immanuel Kant in Russian and credited the 18th-century thinker with being effectively the first person to propose European unification.

“His works could definitely be published in the Russian language. Clearly, this would take time, including time to be spent on translation,” Putin said during a meeting with students and lecturers from Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University. “Get your proposals ready.”

One of the students present at the meeting said a great deal of attention is paid to Kant’s legacy in Russia’s Kaliningrad region and suggested the name Kant be made a symbol of the city and region of Kaliningrad.

“I agree with you, and it’s great that you pay such attention to this. We must see what can be done at federal level,” Putin said. “If you want my opinion, Kant should be a symbol not only of your university but also of the entire region.”

Putin said Kant’s essay “Perpetual Peace. A Philosophical Sketch” was in effect the first-ever case for the unification of Europe. “In that sense, Kant is a symbolic figure for the whole of Europe,” the president said.