NOTES ON KANT’S CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON
PHIL 202: Modern Philosophy / Tim Black / Fall 2008
California State University, Northridge
METAPHYSICS
1.
2.
3.
“Metaphysics is speculative cognition by reason that is wholly isolated and rises
entirely above being instructed by experience” (p. 7).
Metaphysics is not yet on “the secure path of a science.”
Kant proposes a revolution (see p. 9): “If our intuition had to conform to the
character of its objects, then I do not see how we could know anything a priori
about that character. But I can quite readily conceive of this possibility if the
object (as object of the senses) conforms to the character of our power of
intuition.”
THINGS IN THEMSELVES AND THINGS AS APPEARANCES
1.
2.
Things in themselves are things as they are outside of and independently of human
sensibility.
Things as appearances are things as they are in and for human sensibility.
A PRIORI & A POSTERIORI
1.
2.
A PRIORI cognitions are “those that occur absolutely independently of experience”
(p. 15).
Otherwise, a cognition is an A POSTERIORI one.
ANALYTIC & SYNTHETIC
1.
2.
ANALYTIC judgments are those in which “the predicate B belongs to the subject A
as something that is (covertly) contained in this concept A” (p. 16).
SYNTHETIC judgments are those in which the concept “B, though connected with
concept A, lies quite outside it” (p. 16). These judgments include experiential
judgments (e.g., Everything that happens has its cause) and mathematical
judgments (e.g., 7 + 5 = 12).
HOW IS SYNTHETIC A PRIORI KNOWLEDGE POSSIBLE?
Independent of experience
Within a concept
Beyond a concept
Analytic
a priori
Synthetic
a priori
Not independent of experience
X
Synthetic
a posteriori
SHORT ANSWER: Since “objects (as objects of the senses) conform to the character of our
power of intuition,” we can learn things about the nature and character of the world by
examining our minds and, in particular, by examining the form of appearances.
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TRANSCENDENTAL AESTHETIC: The science of all principles of a priori sensibility.
MIND’S OPERATIONS
SENSIBILITY
SENSATION
(A POSTERIORI)
NOT SENSIBILITY
PURE INTUITION
(A PRIORI)
[THE MERE FORM OF
APPEARANCE]
Transcendental Aesthetic
TWO FORMS OF SENSIBLE INTUITIONS (PURE FORMS OF SENSIBILITY)
1. SPACE
A.
Space is an a priori form of appearance; an a priori intuition (see p. 30).
B.
Space is not an empirical concept abstracted from outer experiences. Rather, it is
a precondition of outer experiences, the condition for the possibility of outer
experiences.
C.
The concept of space underlies all—but only—the objects of outer experience (or
outer appearances).
D.
Space is not a property of things in themselves or a relation between things in
themselves (see p. 31). That is, space is transcendentally ideal.
E.
Space is not a property of things as appearances (see p. 31). That is, space is
empirically real.
2. TIME
A.
Time is an a priori form of appearance; an a priori intuition.
B.
Time is not an empirical concept abstracted from outer experiences. Rather, it is a
precondition of experiences, the condition for the possibility of experiences.
C.
The concept of time underlies all the objects of experience, whether outer
experience or inner experience.
D.
Time is not a property of things in themselves or a relation between things in
themselves. That is, time is transcendentally ideal.
E.
Time is not a property of things as appearances. That is, time is empirically real.
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