Transcendental Politics: Kantian Political Realism and the Limits of UBI

This article challenges contemporary Kantian arguments for universal basic income (UBI) by reinterpreting Kant's political philosophy through the lens of political realism. Current defences of UBI from a Kantian perspective often rely on an idealist reading that overlooks the practical realities of state power and global politics. I argue that Kant is better understood as a ‘transcendental political realist’ who saw a republican state, defined by the separation of powers, as the necessary precondition for any moral society. From this realist viewpoint, politics is not simply applied ethics; rather, a just political structure is the autonomous foundation upon which ethical life can be built. Applying this framework, the article finds UBI to be a problematic solution to economic dependence. In the current global landscape, UBI risks creating a new form of state domination, undermining the core Kantian value of civic independence. The article concludes that a truly Kantian approach prioritises the establishment of robust republican institutions that empower citizens to become their ‘own masters’, achieving independence through a just system of labour, not through state provision.