PHIL 460 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Critique Of Pure Reason, Transcendental Idealism, A Priori And A Posteriori
12 Jun 2018
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B. Preface xvi-xviii
• math, physics purport to determine their objects a priori
• This is where he puts forth his Copernican hypothesis
o although not really a hypothesis → he will show it from the
constitution of our representations of space & time (transcendental
aesthetic) & from the elementary concepts of the understanding
(transcendental deduction)
Appearances vs. things-in-themselves
• not true that the sensible is that which is more confusedly cognized
• but neither is it true that things-in-themselves are real and appearances are
not
• puzzle: seem to be both dependent & independent
Transcendental idealism: 2 kinds of interpretation
1. 2-world view: there exist two distinct sets of objects, things-in-themselves
and appearances; things-in-themselves lie behind appearances
• textual evidence: A190/B234; objects described as causing
representations
2. One world view: talk of appearances and things in themselves as distinct just
represents different ways of considering the very same objects
• Textual evidence: Bxxvii
Doctrine of elements – what is described where
Transcendental Aesthetic: sensibility → notions of space and time
Transcendental Logic: understanding → transcendental analytic and
transcendental dialectic
1. Analytic: Concepts vs. Principles
2. Dialectic: Concepts vs. Inferences (independently of sensibility)
Introduction
Sets up (1) distinctions crucial to argument, and (2) motivation of argument
• experience required to get the understanding going; so you start with the
former
• But experience is already mixed with the raw material provided by the
senses
• Experience is itself a cognition; it is not a mere sense
• Separating out impressions from contribution of understanding requires
practice
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Transcendental idealism: 2 kinds of interpretation: one world view: talk of appearances and things in themselves as distinct just represents different ways of considering the very same objects, textual evidence: bxxvii. Doctrine of elements what is described where. Transcendental aesthetic: sensibility notions of space and time. Transcendental logic: understanding transcendental analytic and transcendental dialectic: analytic: concepts vs. principles, dialectic: concepts vs. inferences (independently of sensibility) The latter can teach us that something is but not that it must be nor that it is universal (these are known a priori: a priori vs. a posteriori. Former is (cid:498)independent of experience(cid:499) and its marks: cognition: objective experience/relation to an object as opposed to a (cid:498)mere representation(cid:499) ** note: cognition =/= knowledge: knowledge: comes from cognition. Examples of a priori judgments: all propositions of mathematics, see b5 that every alteration must have a cause. Similar with (cid:498)necessarily press themselves upon you(cid:499); thus exist in our cognition a priori objects necessarily a substance/something substantial.
