Abstract

The article gives a general overview of Dante's and Kant's political universalism (cosmopolitanism) and analyzes the major arguments of Dante's "Monarchy" and Kant's "Idea of universal history" in favor of a universal political structure. A striking and enigmatic similarity between Dante's and Kant's argumentation is demonstrated and a hitherto unknown, and most probably indirect, influence of Dante's doctrine of political universalism on Kant is proposed.