Kant I

1. Kant I Charles Manekin Modern Philosophy PHIL320

2. Topics of Discussion Life and Works Perceptions, Impressions and Ideas Empiricist Theory of Meaning Association of Ideas Modern Philosophy PHIL320

3. Life and Works Born (April 22, 1724) grew up, and died in East Prussia. No life of diplomacy, tutoring, no excommunication. Pretty quiet. Born into family of pietists in Koenigsberg, stress simple piety and good works over ceremonies of organized religion. 1740 – Attended college, studied logic and philosophy with disciple of Wolff. 12/20/2019 3 Modern Philosophy PHIL320

4. Life and Works 1755 obtained “doctorate” and license to teach 1770 appointed professor of logic and metaphysics. 1755-1770: pre-”critical” years. 1770-1781: teaching Wolff, thinking Kant Critique of Pure Reason – First Edition published in 1781 – barely noticed. Then, in rapid succession, Prolegomena, Groundworks of the Metaphysics of Morals, Metaphysical First Principles of Natural Science, Second Edition of First Critique (1787), the Critique of Practical Reason (1790), Critique of Judgment (1793) 12/20/2019 4 Modern Philosophy PHIL320

5. Introduction to Prolegomena We must first ask the question, “Whether Metaphysics is possible at all?” Certainly it is possible in a trivial sense; one can talk and write about it. But is it capable of extending our knowledge about reality? Modern Philosophy PHIL320

6. What Does Kant Mean by Metaphysics? Chief questions of metaphysics: existence of God, human freedom, the immortality of the soul. Can we obtain knowledge about these? Well, why not? 12/20/2019 6 Modern Philosophy PHIL320

7. Reasons to believe there is no science called “metaphysics” Doesn’t seem to have advanced much. Philosophers have come to no agreement. It is necessary to first be convinced that metaphysics is possible, before one actually does metaphysics. Goal of the Prolegomena – to convince the reader that metaphysics is possible. Modern Philosophy PHIL320

8. The Criticism of Dogmatic Metaphysics What is “Dogmatic Metaphysics”? “Dogmatic” does not mean “clinging to irrational beliefs” or “accepted without argument.” Rather, it is the rationalistic philosophy associated with Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz – and most important of all, Wolff.” All knowledge is or can become scientific…all things in the world are rationally comprehensible.” The truths of philosophy can be deduced independent of all experience. 12/20/2019 8 Modern Philosophy PHIL320

9. Hume Awakens Kant from his Dogmatic Slumbers According to Kant, Hume destroyed it. “Every effect has a cause”. This cannot be deduced in a priori fashion, but only from experience, and only as a subjective necessity. Hume misunderstood by his critics. They appealed to common sense. Kant’s answer to Hume…. 12/20/2019 9 Modern Philosophy PHIL320

10. The Copernican Revolution Hitherto it has been assumed that all our knowledge must conform to objects. But all attempts to extend our knowledge of objects by establishing something in regard to them a priori, by means of concepts, have, on this assumption, ended in failure. We must therefore make trial whether we may not have more success in the tasks of metaphysics, if we suppose that objects must conform to our knowledge. This would agree better with what is desired, namely, that it should be possible to have knowledge of objects a priori, determining something in regard to them prior to their being given. 12/20/2019 10 Modern Philosophy PHIL320

11. The Copernican Revolution We should then be proceeding precisely on the lines of Copernicus' primary hypothesis. Failing of satisfactory progress in explaining the movements of the heavenly bodies on the supposition that they all revolved round the spectator, he tried whether he might not have better success if he made the spectator to revolve and the stars to remain at rest. A similar experiment can be tried in metaphysics, as regards the intuition of objects. If intuition must conform to the constitution of the objects, I do not see how we could know anything of the latter a priori; but if the object (as object of the senses) must conform to the constitution of our faculty of intuition. 12/20/2019 11 Modern Philosophy PHIL320

12. The Analytic Method in the Prologomena Assume the necessary and universal truth of the propositions of mathematics, geometry, etc. The question is then. What must be the conditions that allow for this to be the case? Transcendental 12/20/2019 12 Modern Philosophy PHIL320

13. Topics of Discussion Metaphysics as an a priori science The analytic/synthetic distinction Synthetic a priori judgments How is pure mathematics possible? Modern Philosophy PHIL320

14. On the Sources of Metaphysics The importance of the “sources” question. For Kant, metaphysics cannot be an empirical science. Its concepts (e.g., cause, substance, etc.) and its maxims (e.g., ‘Effect effect has a cause”) must be a priori, i.e., not derived from experience. “Pure” means, for Kant, pure of any empirical content. Metaphysics is like mathematics (which is also pure and a priori), but differs in the objects and the maxims; it is philosophical, whereas mathematics is not. 12/20/2019 14 Modern Philosophy PHIL320

15. Analytic and synthetic judgments “Analytic” or “explicative” judgments. The predicate is implicitly thought in the subject; the predicate-concept is contained within the subject-concept. This is not a subjective criterion; some judgments are not analytics for some people, not analytics for others. Example: “All bodies are extended” . No amplification of the subject, just analysis. Even judgments with empirical concepts can be analytic. “Gold is a yellow metal.” 12/20/2019 15 Modern Philosophy PHIL320

16. Analytic and synthetic judgments “Synthetic” or “expansive” judgments. The predicate is not even implicitly thought in the subject; the predicate-concept is not contained within the subject-concept; it adds to it. Example: “All bodies have weight”. “Weight” amplifies my knowledge of body. When I make such a judgment, I put/think together the predicate and the subject concepts; hence the judgments are synthetic. 12/20/2019 16 Modern Philosophy PHIL320

17. All Analytics Judgments are known a priori All Analytic judgments are based on the Law of Contradiction. Since the predicate is already contained within the subject, the predicate cannot be denied without denying the subject, i.e., without contradiction In effect, they reduce to identity statements. All bachelors are unmarried males. Bachelors=df unmarried males All unmarried males are unmarried males 12/20/2019 17 Modern Philosophy PHIL320

18. Are all synthetic propositions a posteriori? Well, empirical judgments, i.e., judgments of experience, are. But – and here is the shock – there are some synthetic propositions that are a priori How are mathematical judgments synthetic? “7+5=12”. The subject concept involves a combination of two numbers in a single number. But in order to have the concept of sum, i.e., of adding of some units to another, we need some features of experience. Mathematical judgments proceed by way of the construction of concepts. Hume’s Fork Needs be a Trident Modern Philosophy PHIL320

19. Metaphysical judgments are synthetic Here, too, one can distinguish between judgments pertaining to metaphysics (“Substance underlies properties”) and metaphysical judgments (“Substance is permanent.”) The first is analytics, the second is not. “The generation of a priori knowledge by intuition (experience) and well as by concepts, in fine, of synthetical propositions a priori, especially in philosophical knowledge, constitutes the essential subject of metaphysics.” 12/20/2019 19 Modern Philosophy PHIL320

20. Is Metaphysics Possible? Well, the important judgments of metaphysics are synthetic and a priori. So, are synthetic a priori judgments possible? Well, mathematical judgments are synthetic a priori. And nobody disputes the mathematics. So how are the synthetic a priori judgments of mathematics possible? Modern Philosophy PHIL320

21. Transcendental Questions How is pure mathematics possible? How is pure natural science possible? How is metaphysics in general possible? How is metaphysics as a science possible? 12/20/2019 21 Modern Philosophy PHIL320