The inclusive ideal. A standard for our aesthetic and ethical judgments

Abstract

Kant’s notion of ideal can promisingly guide us in making both aesthetic and ethical judgments. The article articulates an analysis of Kant’s notion of ideal and a proposal about the way we can use the inclusiveness which seems to characterize this notion as a standard for both our aesthetic and our ethical judgments. The last part of the article focuses on how we can use the inclusiveness of the ideal in order to decrease the divergence between judging (which is something that should be guided by the ideal, i.e., by an inclusive standard, more respectful of what diverges from the majority) and legislating (which is something that, paradoxically enough, is frequently guided by an exclusive standard, less respectful of what diverges from the majority).

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