Transcendental Knowability, Closure, Luminosity and Factivity: Reply to Stephenson

Abstract

Abstract Stephenson (2022) has argued that Kant’s thesis that all transcendental truths are transcendentally a priori knowable leads to omniscience of all transcendental truths. His arguments depend on luminosity principles and closure principles for transcendental knowability. We will argue that one pair of a luminosity and a closure principle should not be used, because the closure principle is too strong, while the other pair of a luminosity and a closure principle should not be used, because the luminosity principle is too strong. Stephenson’s argument also depends on a factivity principle for transcendental knowability, which we will argue to be false.