I examine the profound influence of Immanuel Kant’s philosophical anthropology on Ernest Gellner’s social theory. Exploring how Kant’s attempt to preserve human agency in the face of mechanical explanations of nature shaped Gellner’s approach to the social sciences, I trace certain key concepts from Kant through to Gellner, including the “exception,” disenchantment, and mechanical dehumanization. I analyze Gellner’s expansion of the Kantian critique, in particular his historicization of Kant’s universal claims and his concept of the “Rubber Cage.” The essay concludes by considering the ongoing relevance of this Kantian-Gellnerian perspective for the contemporary social sciences.
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