Lecture one: Kants Copernican Revolution

1
Lecture one Kants Copernican Revolution
2
Immanuel Kant

• 1724-1804
• the sage of Königsberg

3
Problems with the Enlightenment

• philosophical disagreements
• philosophy leading to skepticism
• science leading to reductive nihilism

4
Critique of Pure Reason (1781)

• agrees with the skeptics about the failure of
  reason to transcend experience
• agrees with the scientists about the
  applicability of materialist, mechanical causal
  principles within the world of experience, but
  denies that they can apply beyond the world of
  experience

5
Kants two worlds

• the world of experience
• a supersensible, transcendent world beyond the
  world of experience

6
a priori knowledge

• a priori
• - prior to experience
• - necessary and universal
• a posteriori

7
The problem

• Hitherto it has been assumed that all our
  cognition 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
  presupposition, ended in failure. (Bxvi)

8
The solution

• 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
  cognition. (Bxvi)
• Kants Copernican Revolution

9
More quotes

• reason has insight only into that which it
  produces according after a plan of its own
  (Bxiii)
• we can know a priori of things only what we
  ourselves put into them (Bxviii)

10
Kants account of cognition

• Two faculties
• 1. active faculty of the understanding concepts
• 2. passive faculty of sensibility intuitions
• Thoughts without content are empty, intuitions
  without concepts are blind (A51/B75)

11
The two worlds again

• the world of experience appearances (ideal)
• supersensible, transcendent world things in
  themselves (really real)

12
Kant quote

• But this deduction of our power of knowing a
  priori has a consequence which is startling, and
  which has the appearance of being highly
  prejudicial to the whole purpose of metaphysics.
  For we are brought to the conclusion that we can
  never transcend the limits of possible
  experience, though that is precisely what this
  science is concerned, above all else, to achieve.
  (continued)

13
Kant quote

• In other words, our a priori knowledge of
  reason has to do only with appearances, and must
  leave the thing in itself as indeed real per se,
  but as not known by us. (Bxix-xx)

14
Two types of metaphysics

• immanent

• transcendent

• inside the bounds of sense experience
• the metaphysics of experience

• outside the bounds of sense experience
• metaphysics as traditionally conceived

15
The key distinction

• knowable

• unknowable

• empirical objects
• appearances
• (immanent metaphysics)

• non-empirical objects
• things in themselves
• (transcendent metaphysics)

16
The key distinction revised

• knowable

• unknowable , yet thinkable

• empirical objects
• appearances
• (immanent metaphysics)
• sensible world

• non-empirical objects
• things in themselves
• (transcendent metaphysics)
• intelligible world

17
Kant quote

• though we cannot know these objects as things in
  themselves, we must yet be in position at least
  to think them as things in themselves (Bxxvi)

18
How this safeguards morality

• the same will each human will is thought of in
  the appearance (in visible actions) as
  necessarily subject to the law of nature
  mechanistic causality and to this extent not
  free, while yet on the other hand it is thought
  of as belonging to a thing in itself as not
  subject to that law, and hence free
  (Bxxvii-xxviii)

19
Motivations for action

• duty
• based on reason

• inclination
• derived from needs and desires

20
Freedom

• mere possibility of freedom
• ought implies can
• cant have knowledge that we are free, instead,
  just belief (or faith Glaube)

21
Morality and freedom

• freedom of choice
• self-determination, autonomy

22
Kant quote

• I have therefore found it necessary to deny
  knowledge i.e. of freedom, God, immortality, in
  order to make room for faith Glaube, or
  belief. (Bxxx)

23
Reason

• Theoretical

• Practical

• nature

• freedom
• primacy of practical reason

24
distinction between appearances and things in
themselves

• failure of reason to provide metaphysical
  knowledge doesnt undermine reasons achievements
  in providing knowledge of the sensible realm
• yet the principles of scientific explanation are
  not the whole story
• Thereby enabling freedom , morality (and
  religion) to be safeguarded