kantkraft

Kantkraft is a neologism that appears in some contemporary discussions of Kantian ethics to describe the perceived practical force or persuasive power of Kant’s moral theory in public debate. The term blends the name of Immanuel Kant with kraft, a word meaning strength or force in German (and similar terms in Dutch), suggesting a morally weighty, universal argument grounded in duty rather than consequences. Because it is not widely adopted in standard Kant scholarship, definitions and uses of Kantkraft vary.

In usage, Kantkraft may refer to two related ideas. First, the intrinsic normative force of Kantian maxims when applied to ordinary moral choices. Second, the rhetorical efficacy of Kantian arguments in policy discussions and public discourse. Proponents view Kantkraft as a measurable quality of a moral argument, while critics argue it is a metaphor that risks conflating normative adequacy with persuasive power.

In scholarly context, discussions of Kantkraft often appear in surveys of deontological ethics, philosophy of argumentation, or metaethics. It is sometimes invoked to explain why Kantian ethics remains influential in debates on rights, autonomy, and moral law, even when outcome-based reasoning dominates other domains.

Critics caution that Kant’s philosophy is internally coherent but not automatically persuasive to all audiences, and that the term can obscure substantive critique by emphasizing force over content. See also Kantian ethics, categorical imperative, deontological ethics. As a rare term, Kantkraft lacks a fixed definition and is not part of standard reference works.