Kant, Hermann Cohen, and the Form of Capitalism

Hermann Cohen’s “neo-Kantian” critique of capitalism is primarily ethical. It is anchored in the principle that social relations must include people as ends in themselves, never merely as means. But Cohen draws on law to exemplify such inclusion: artificial legal persons such as cooperatives incorporate members as free and equal. I criticise Cohen for downplaying the constraints involved and, further, for only gesturing toward the role of law in capitalism. Kantian principles, if not Kant’s own views, can help address these flaws. I suggest that the form of capitalism rests on money, employment, and another sort of legal person, the business corporation.