...Compare Kant’s theory of transcendental idealist space with that if one of the philosophers (Newton/Clarke) that Kant claims have a transcendental realist conception of space. Which conception if space is more true and why? The ontological nature of space is one of the fundamental questions in Kant’s metaphysics and is the foundation around which he constructs his notion of transcendental idealism laid out in his Critique of Pure Reason. Written in response to the previous ‘realist’ conceptions of space Kant challenged strongly the view of its ultimate reality and served to shift the scope of the ontological argument from one of ‘absolutism’ versus ‘relationalism’ to a more developed debate of ‘realism’ against ‘idealism’ as he brought the relationship between space and time, and the mind strongly to the fore. In this essay I am going to contrast this Kantian notion of space as being ‘transcendentally ideal’ against the branded ‘transcendental realism’ of Newton and Clarke. Starting with the latter I’ll go on to bring in the former then proceed to analyse the developments Kant forges past his predecessors. I will then conclude by assessing how and why his view holds more metaphysical depth than that put forward in the Newtonian model by looking at how he accounts for the scope and perspective of human consciousness and the epistemological limits inherent within it. To begin however I will now go to the absolutist models put forward by Newton and Clarke. Prior to Kant,...
Words: 2223 - Pages: 9
...an important role in our everyday life and that helps humans make the decisions they make and gain the experiences they gain in order to succeed and follow their morals. People see reality as it is but according to Kant, mind is what makes our lives true and our realities real. In order to understand the statement made by Kant, first we need to learn more about Kant. Kant’s ethics are all about morals and the steps that people make in order to make things better and people happier around them. Kant uses the idea of acting in accordance to duty and from duty. The only difference between these two was the fact that people need to do something because it is duty and sometimes people need to do things because not only it’s their duty but because they will gain from it and be happy as well from the experience. As it can be seen through his ethics, Kant thinks that all human beings deserve the best life ever and they deserve to follow ethics so that they do not hurt each other. Kant’s theory is that humans should not just take action; they should use their morals and ethics before making any decision or taking any action. Kant’s theory is also based on the fact that humans should take advantage of their minds since they are the key to several decision they make that affect their lives. Reading Kant’s statement, we should look at the significance behind it. Kant says that the basis of morals is that ethics are...
Words: 684 - Pages: 3
...who maintained that the objects of sensation are the only proper objects of knowledge, that all ideas and knowledge are derived from the senses; through reasoning and observation. In contrast to the thoughts of empiricists, another school of thought existed, referred to as continental rationalism. Rationalists argued that some knowledge and ideas were not derived strictly through sensation, but could also be innate to reason. These innate ideas would give knowledge of a greater reality, which would be known without having to be realized by the traditional senses. This was referred to as being the supersensible reality, in which God existed. As empiricism believed that knowledge was of the sensible reality, that which can be sensed, led to admitting that there is no reality outside of what can be sensed. As such, there could be no immortality of the soul or of the freedom of will; both being unable to be proved through the senses. This proved to have great implications with what is taught through religion, as there is a supersensible reality in religion. Although both rationalists and empiricists were both trying to provide answers to the same epistemological question, what knowledge is and how it is acquired, they had very different perspectives upon the matter. Kant was an avid scholar, who without question was adept at many different fields of study. Having these different perspectives in hand influenced Kant’s work of a Critique of Pure Reason. This work holds...
Words: 903 - Pages: 4
...of two philosophers. I would like to examine Immanuel Kant and Ayn Rand’s moral systems for my essay. At first glance, you could say that these two thinkers seem diametrically opposed, but they actually share some similar views. I’ll start by reviewing some of the details of Immanuel Kant’s moral system. You could say that Kant’s views on morality are just an extreme form of altruism. Kant believed in duty ethics, or the act of judging the morality of an action within the context of a system of laws. He believed that humans alone possessed goodwill, a word which he defined as, “the ability to act in accordance with moral laws regardless of interests or consequences”. (Camoin) Kant credits human emotions with the power to know the greater metaphysical world by indiscernible means that he termed “pure reason.” Pure reason exists in the inexplicable human instinct for duty. Duty is an uncompromising obligation that one “just knows.” Kant held that an action is moral only if a person performs it out of a special sense of duty (MacKinnon 45). Morality is therefore derived through feelings from that metaphysical dimension of reality. That being said, these duties fall within Kant’s two moral codes: The first being that they must be logically consistent, not self-contradictory and that any truths must be universal. On the other hand, we have Ayn Rand, whose philosophies I consider to be an expression of extreme egoism. According to Ayn Rand, society should do away...
Words: 1039 - Pages: 5
...The paper should be at least five pages long, plus a title sheet and a References page. The better papers are usually closer to six pages. Use a standard 12-point font and standard margins, as defined by the St. Martin’s Handbook used in English classes. You can definitely double-space (if you have a quote longer than three or four lines you should really indent it and single-space that quote; if you aren't sure how to do that ask me and I will be happy to help you.) Remember to write as if your reader had never taken a philosophy course. Choose the question about which you would like to write a paper. You can pick a question that is not on the list of suggestions I give you, but in that case, I want you to ask me about your question before you begin to write, and submit the question you attempt to address in writing so I have a clear understanding of what it is you are trying to achieve. Good papers make use of at least two philosophers we have read, and use direct “quotes” from them. Any quotations and paraphrasing must be cited properly, with quotation marks and parenthetical references. You are not required to use outside sources, but you are encouraged to do so. If you choose to, you must cite them carefully. This includes internet resources – give me the url and all the information you can, and use direct quotes. Before you use an online resource, check to make sure that it is scholarly. For example, Wikipedia is not scholarly, while the Stanford Encyclopedia...
Words: 2231 - Pages: 9
...Kant’s Moral Theory: The Flaws One of the most controversial aspects of Kant’s moral philosophy is his theory regarding the concept of duty. Duty is the moral necessity to perform actions for no other reason than to obey the dictates of a higher authority without any selfish inclination. Immanuel Kant states that the only moral motivation is a devotion to duty. The same action can be seen as moral if it is done for the sake of one’s duty but also as not moral (Kant distinguished between immoral and not moral) and simply praise-worthy if it is done out of inclination. Thus, to have moral worth, an action must be done from duty. This theory has been deemed an anti-concept i.e. an inconsistent concept that obliterates other cardinal concepts. In this case, duty destroys rationality. Ayn Rand goes as far as to say duty is “a metaphysical and psychological killer”, thereupon hindering a man’s capacity to act according to his will and reason. Kant’s philosophy of duty is self-refuting. It relies on the rationality of humans and yet its authoritarian deontology deprives man of his rationality and confines him to strictly objective speculation and limited mental processing. If one strives only to pursue one’s duty and to live whereby the rules of an unaccountable authority take precedence over one’s own judgment, one cannot have the opportunity to be rational. The objectivist view criticises the practicality of Kant’s theory and negates the existence of any such thing as “duty”...
Words: 935 - Pages: 4
...Kant’s moral argument focuses on the notion that God must exist to provide structure to the moral universe. Technically he did not believe that is was possible to prove the existence of God through rational or empirical means. It is important to outline two key ideas before explaining the details of the moral argument. These ideas centre around his assumptions of the universe: that the universe was fair; and that the world around us is fundamentally rational. He begins with the unspoken assumption that the world is fair, owing to the dominance of the enlightenment belief that the universe was fundamentally knowable through reason. It is important to note that Kant began a new way of looking at knowledge. He believed that we could know the world through reason in a prior synthetic way. This was a complete change from how the world had been view previously and was known as Kant’s Copernican revolution. In essence Kant believed in two separate worlds of knowledge: noumenal and the phenomenal worlds. The noumenal world is the world as it truly is without being observed. It is fundamentally unknowable because the act of observation changes the very thing that we observe. It is as though human beings have a specific set of spectacles that cannot be taken off and like the proverbial rose tinted ones they change our perception of the world around us. This personalised view of the universe is the phenomenal world. However, what is key to explaining Kant’s moral argument is the fact that...
Words: 2616 - Pages: 11
...What problems do you see in Kant’s attempt to reconcile determinism and free will? In the Critique of Pure Reason Kant presents the third antinomy in which he introduces a thesis and an antitheses. The thesis argues that a rational being’s actions are not contingent on previous causes according to the laws of nature, or more simply, that freedom exists. The antithesis to this proposes that rational beings can never be causal origins in themselves and that all actions are contingent upon previous causes according to the laws of nature and therefore freedom does not exist as everything is determined. Something should be here but what?In his attempt to reconcile determinism and free will a few problems arise that need to be studied. Firstly, we...
Words: 1077 - Pages: 5
...Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative appears to be a solid ethical foundation; however, there are major issues that cannot be resolved by moral absolutes. I will demonstrate how Kant’s arguments are invalidated by the fact that they cannot be generalized. Kant contemplated ethics and morality in context of duty; his logical argument progressed to a universal maxim, the “categorical imperative.” Duty-based ethics ascribe greater moral value to actions performed without regard to inclination, as opposed to a sense of personal gain. Kant insisted only good will was good without qualification, because good intention could breed bad results, and bad intention could result in goodness; therefore subjectively comparing good and bad were problematic when it came to universality. A related factor is the value on human dignity and autonomy; Kant emphasized that lying was always morally wrong, because it removed the intrinsic human value of free, rational choice. Respecting that value in oneself and others was the ethical option (Mazur, 1993). Kant’s categorical imperative stated: “I should never act except in such a way that I can also will that my maxim should become a...
Words: 600 - Pages: 3
...Exploring Psychological and Ethical Egoism I disagree Kant’s philosophy when he assumed his criticism of speculative reason that whatever is universal and necessary in our knowledge must come from the mind itself, and not from the world of reality outside us. Like Utilitarianism, Kant’s moral theory is grounded in a theory of intrinsic value. But where the utilitarian take happiness, conceived of as pleasure and the absence of pain to be what has intrinsic value, Kant takes the only think to have moral worth for its own sake to be the good will. Persons, conceived of as autonomous rational moral agents, are beings that have intrinsic moral worth. This value of persons makes them deserving of moral respect. Kant’s moral theory is often referred to as the "respect for persons" theory of morality. Create a thread in this forum and provide an example that would support Kant's statement: "Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of another, always at the same time as an end and never simply as means." One good example is when I preach to my kids about respect each other’s and not do anything bad that may end with unhappiness results, like the use of violence or hurting others around them. I remember that morning when I considered myself as a civilian with 3 kids and my wife. I could not believe that this was happening, and instantly my reactions were to go and secure my kids from school. Later, when I came to the house I found...
Words: 347 - Pages: 2
...and therefore ought to be heeded. Kant’s belief of ethics might be seen as an over-arching design and order of nature. The third illustration considers the issue of developing one’s talents. Nature endows us with aptitudes that are intended for a given purpose, which Kant implies, are valid in an appropriate system of nature. Like the antecedent moralists, Kant appeals to the teleology of nature. Initially, in the first section of Groundwork Kant seems to echo Aristotle, but then takes great care to refute Aristotle’s expositions of virtues. As Kant moves to a discussion of the second and fourth illustrations which concern duties to others, his analogy with nature prevails. Kant draws again...
Words: 5485 - Pages: 22
...Kant's transcendental idealism has the dual aspect of being difficult to interpret and widely discredited. Kant's relevancy has been on the decline since his day, largely due to a wide variety of attacks from modern analytic philosophy. One of their main targets has been Kant's distinction between appearances and things in themselves. This distinction is integral to Kant's entire transcendental idealism; their attacks risk undermining the entire critical philosophy. These attacks are largely based on the two world interpretation of Kant's philosophy. This perspective is the most common of Kant's viewpoint; appearances and things in-themselves occupy distinct metaphysical realms. Noumena exist independently of phenomena and cause some of them,...
Words: 1534 - Pages: 7
...dignity of man’ and sciences reduction of human beings to ‘specks of dust’. His rejection of many Enlightenment philosophies and work to reconcile others resulted in the philosophies that rocketed philosophy far beyond the debate between rationalists and empiricists. I will explore Kant’s views on what knowledge is and what is possible to know, which I will then compare these views to those held by sceptics and dogmatists. Similarly, I will discuss how Kant’s deviating epistemology led to the formation of his categorical imperative and views on morality, contrasting this moral code to the ones of the Hellenistic schools of thought. Lastly, I will deliberate on how Kant’s categorical imperative is nonoperational with the 20th and 21st century’s understanding of psychology and quantum physics. Kant believed that our understanding of the external world was two-part, basing our knowledge not only on our sense-perception experiences but on a priori concepts as well. Kant’s two-part epistemology is not at all similar with the mind-body theories of reality proposed by many enlightenment thinkers. Kant’s epistemology is derived of his criticisms of those he labeled dogmatists and sceptics. Kant’s sceptics, like Hume, thought that there was nothing to...
Words: 2123 - Pages: 9
...CRITIQUE OF THE NOTION OF AUTONOMY IN KANT’S MORAL PHILOSOPHY AN UNDER GRADUATE DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE INSTITUTE OF ETHICS AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES OF UGANDA MARTYRS UNIVERSITY (UMU) NKOZI, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN PHILOSOPHY BISIMWA MUNYALI EVARISTE MARCH 2011 1 DEDICACE This work is dedicated in a special way to: My ever loving and caring God, My family and the community of the Missionaries of Africa. 2 DECLARATION I………………………………………………………..have read the rules of Uganda Martyrs University on plagiarism and hereby state that this work is my own. It has not been submitted anywhere else for any qualification. I have acknowledged the secondary sources used in this work. NAME OF STUDENT…………………………………………………………. SIGNATURE…………………………………………………………………… DATE: …………………………………………………………………………… SUPERVISOR………………………………………………………………….. SIGNATURE…………………………………………………………………… DATE: ………………………………………………………………………….. 3 ABSTRACT The importance of a philosophical study dealing with moral issues, especially the principle of autonomy is indisputably great. It is a common agreement that morality is located within the scope of duty. Kant corroborates this held agreement by stating the categorical imperative which every human is obliged to act upon. He conceived this categorical imperative as the moral law which all those who claim to be moral beings have to live on. However, he also affirmed that only autonomous beings can be moral. Moreover...
Words: 21012 - Pages: 85
...3.2 God in the Critique of Pure Reason's Transcendental Dialectic 3.2.1 The Ens Realissimum The Transcendental Dialectic's “Ideal of Reason” contains the best known and most frequently anthologized components of Kant's philosophy of religion. In addition to its portrayal of the ens realissimum, one finds within it Kant's objections to the Ontological, Cosmological and Physico-theological (Design) arguments for God's existence. It is thus the text most central to the negative elements of Kant's philosophy of religion and is integral to the widely held view that Kant is deeply hostile to faith. The general aim of the Transcendental Dialectic is to expose reason's excesses, its drive to move beyond the limits of possible experience, and to bring all concepts into a systematic unity under an “unconditioned condition.” The Transcendental Dialectic begins with a critique of reason's illusions and errors within the sphere of Rational Psychology. It then moves on to a critique of cosmological metaphysics, and then to the “Ideal of Reason” where Kant turns to Rational Theology and its pursuit of religious knowledge. As Kant explains, underlying all the traditional proofs for God's existence is the concept of the ens realissimum, the most real being. Reason comes to the idea of this being through the principle that every individuated object is subject to the “principle of complete determination.” While the generality of concepts allow them to be less than fully determined (e.g...
Words: 13468 - Pages: 54
