This essay applies the conceptual framework of the German Idealism / Enlightenment — most prominently associated with Immanuel Kant — to re-read the USA IGF 2022 Washington D.C. conference. Target audience: researchers, doctoral students, policy analysts, and executives.
Introduction: The Problem
Kant's cosmopolitan law in Perpetual Peace envisions a federal order beyond states. USA IGF represents an embryonic federal order in digital space, continuing the cosmopolitan tradition.
This essay argues that the multistakeholder process of USA IGF becomes intelligible in its specificity only through the concept of Perpetual peace and the right of hospitality, and that the concept itself undergoes transformation under the new material of digital space. Describing this mutual transformation is the task of this essay.
Cosmopolitan law on the internet
The 2022 conference can be read as applying Kant's third definitive article — "cosmopolitan right shall be limited to conditions of universal hospitality" — to internet interconnection. USA's participation is an act of opening to the cosmopolitan view while retaining particularity.
Each session's agenda-setting can be read as a contemporary restaging of the Immanuel Kant-type problematic.
The national-level IGF (USA IGF) is an attempt to redefine the modern category of the nation-state in the digital era.
Hospitality in the digital realm
Immanuel Kant's concepts are not confined to abstract philosophical discussion; they apply to the concrete agenda items debated at the 2022 conference. We examine that application below.
1. Application to "AI"
Discussion of "AI" can be positioned, from the perspective of Immanuel Kant's Perpetual peace and the right of hospitality, as a central problematic. In USA's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around AI are particularly at stake.
2. Application to "サイバーセキュリティ"
Discussion of "サイバーセキュリティ" can be positioned, from the perspective of Immanuel Kant's Perpetual peace and the right of hospitality, as a derivative problematic. In USA's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around サイバーセキュリティ are particularly at stake.
3. Application to "デジタル権利"
Discussion of "デジタル権利" can be positioned, from the perspective of Immanuel Kant's Perpetual peace and the right of hospitality, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In USA's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around デジタル権利 are particularly at stake.
4. Application to "国内法整備"
Discussion of "国内法整備" can be positioned, from the perspective of Immanuel Kant's Perpetual peace and the right of hospitality, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In USA's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 国内法整備 are particularly at stake.
5. Application to "政府＋民間協働"
Discussion of "政府＋民間協働" can be positioned, from the perspective of Immanuel Kant's Perpetual peace and the right of hospitality, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In USA's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 政府＋民間協働 are particularly at stake.
Implications for Executives and Practitioners
The philosophical reflection of this essay is not merely academic. The Immanuel Kant perspective carries three practical implications for executives operating in USA.
First, it raises the reflexive question of how the firm's business model connects to the logic of Perpetual peace and the right of hospitality. Second, in dialogue with regulators and civil society, it suggests dimensions of consensus formation that purely technical arguments cannot reach. Third, it indicates that the long-term ground of business legitimacy lies not so much in technical advantage or market share as in participation in such philosophical-normative debates.
Academic Positioning and Future Research
The argument of this essay attempts to graft a philosophical perspective onto the mainstream political-science and legal approaches to internet governance research. Three future research questions follow.
- Verification of the applicability of Immanuel Kant's framework to other IGF conferences
- Comparative contrast between German Idealism / Enlightenment and other theoretical traditions
- Exploration of dialogue possibilities with the indigenous intellectual traditions of USA
In particular, the third point has the potential to liberate IGF research from West-centric debate and open a more multi-layered discursive space.
Primary Sources
- IGF Secretariat. Annual Reports of USA IGF.
- USA IGF 2022 Washington D.C. Conference Materials.
- Japan IGF Support Organization. https://japanigf.jp/
- Nakazawa Yuki Blog. https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/
Secondary Sources (Philosophy)
- Works of Immanuel Kant (representative texts of German Idealism / Enlightenment)
*This piece belongs to the academic essays (philosophy series). The author's views do not necessarily represent those of any institutional affiliation. Feedback and critique are welcome.*
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第1稿投稿 2026年6月5日 21時53分（記事コンテンツアップ）
— 中澤祐樹
