Kant's Philosophy Research Articles

The Relationship between Morality and Religion in Kant's Philosophy

Kant delves into the relationship between morality and religion, particularly how traditional morality is integrated into practical reason and how the moral law is seen as a self-imposed rule of free practical reason. Kant distinguishes between two forms of religion: religion within the boundaries of pure reason and revealed religion. The former is based on the rational conception that the establishment of a supreme being ensures the supreme good; the latter emphasizes the independence and authority of reason in matters of faith. In his moral philosophy, both beliefs are crucial, not only in helping to sustain the moral life, but also in the way that both reason's conception of God and belief in revealed religion can positively affect the moral life.

Explanation, teleology, and analogy in natural history and comparative anatomy around 1800: Kant and Cuvier

This paper investigates conceptions of explanation, teleology, and analogy in the works of Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) and Georges Cuvier (1769–1832). Richards (2000, 2002) and Zammito (2006, 2012, 2018) have argued that Kant's philosophy provided an obstacle for the project of establishing biology as a proper science around 1800. By contrast, Russell (1916), Outram (1986), and Huneman (2006, 2008) have argued, similar to suggestions from Lenoir (1989), that Kant's philosophy influenced the influential naturalist Georges Cuvier. In this article, I wish to expand on and further the work of Russell, Outram, and Huneman by adopting a novel perspective on Cuvier and considering (a) the similar conceptions of proper science and explanation of Kant and Cuvier, and (b) the similar conceptions of the role of teleology and analogy in the works of Kant and Cuvier. The similarities between Kant and Cuvier show, contrary to the interpretation of Richards and Zammito, that some of Kant's philosophical ideas, whether they derived from him or not, were fruitfully applied by some life scientists who wished to transform life sciences into proper sciences around 1800. However, I also show that Cuvier, in contrast to Kant, had a workable strategy for transforming the life sciences into proper sciences, and that he departed from Kant's philosophy of science in crucial respects.

Zur Bedingung der Möglichkeit von Erfahrung. Eine modallogische Analyse

Abstract In Kantian philosophy, the term “condition of possibility” is central, but carries the following ambiguity. According to one reading, “condition of possibility” merely means “necessary condition”. However, it is demonstrated that a deeper interpretation of the term “possibility” proves to be more fruitful. This reading allows us to reconstruct an important background assumption of Kant: Every condition of the possibility of experience holds necessarily, provided that experience is possible. Or more generally: All conditions of the possibility hold necessarily as long as the conditioned is actually possible. This conclusion is understood through the axiomatic system S5. Therefore I argue by referencing the schematism chapter that Kant’s notion of modal terms can be formalized through S5.

До 300-річчя Імануеля Канта

Description of the materials of current issue of Sententiae, devoted to Kant's philosophy.

Kant's mature account of monads as objects in the idea

AbstractIn On a Discovery, Kant depicts monads as simple beings that are thought in the idea as the ground of appearances. He argues that his account of monads is partially in line with both Leibniz's monadology and his own critical philosophy. However, in the Critique of Pure Reason, Kant appears to depart from the monadologies of his predecessors. In this article, I make sense of Kant's late subscription to a version of Leibniz's monadology by arguing that Kant considers monads to be the objects represented through cosmological and psychological ideas posited by reason in its search for the unconditioned conditions of appearances. In particular, I point to what I take to be two instances of what Kant calls “objects in the idea” in the Critique of Pure Reason, namely (a) the substratum of matter qua ground of external appearances, and (b) the soul qua ground of internal appearances. Drawing on Kant's reply to Eberhard and the Transcendental Dialectic of the first Critique, I highlight the merely regulative—and yet fundamental—role that monads conceived as objects of reason play in Kant's critical philosophy.

Damned Lies

A popular saying distinguishes lies from damned lies: this paper asks about the difference. It does so as a way of considering the variety of lies told by former President Trump and the variety of ways in which his lying was wrong. Specifically it focuses on the manipulative aspect of lies, the grave and malicious damage that a lie may do to particular person, and the ways in which lying degrades and undermines conventions associated with human communication in various specific areas of discourse. Some of these ideas are found in Kant's moral philosophy, and Kant's views on lying are examined sympathetically and in detail. Many of President Trump's lies were banal and self-serving. But they underline our sense of a common world and the importance of truth as a touchstone in politics as in everyday life. Trump's lies about the 2020 election are given special attention in light of the point that his duty was not so much to convey accurate information--we have other sources for that--but to perform the formal task of *affirming* the results in order to allow the political system to continue operating.

From Sport Psychology to Action Philosophy: Immanuel Kant and the Case of Video Assistant Referees.

The implementation of Video Assistant Referees (VARs) in 2018 has had a significant impact on the multi-billion-dollar soccer industry. As the most popular and watched sport globally, soccer's financial stakes are high, with clubs, leagues, broadcasters, sponsors, and fans heavily invested in the game. The ongoing debate surrounding the VAR system brings to light the intricate balance between preserving the authenticity of football (soccer) and harnessing technology to improve accuracy. It is crucial to strike the right equilibrium in order to uphold football's metaphorical power and sustain the timeless joy it has brought to fans throughout generations. In this context, Immanuel Kant's philosophy can offer valuable insights into the utilization of VARs in soccer. According to Kantian ethics, using VARs can be justified if it serves to enhance fairness and accuracy, aligning with the moral duties of referees. Nevertheless, it is important to consider the potential dehumanizing effects and the necessity of preserving the value of human judgment in the game. Therefore, this paper aims to explore in-depth the intricate dynamics that arise when technology is integrated into traditional practices, emphasizing the significance of critical reflection on the implications of such advancements.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF KANT AND THE BOOTS OF VINCENT

This article aims to summarize the Kantian philosophy of visual aesthetics, realize the logical discrimination between plastic aesthetics and the philosophy of aesthetics, the distinction between art object and artwork, and the essentialization of the value significance of the artwork exemplified in a relevant case study: the painting ”Boots” by Vincent Van Gogh.

Kant’s analysis of the soul: correlation with the body, and the problem of existence

The article highlights the conceptual issues related to Kant’s analysis of the soul, a concept of utmost importance for the metaphysics and psychology of German academic philosophy (Schulphilosophie) of the Enlightenment was significantly dependent on the developed and systematically presented philosophical and scientific ideas and concepts of Christian Wolff. Kantian philosophy, its themes, and conceptual language were formed in the crucible of Wolfean discourse, and from the early 1770s in the struggle against it, which led to the emergence of a new, critical philosophy – transcendental idealism, in which the problem of the soul, consciousness, and self-awareness became fundamental. It is this issue that was thoroughly covered in the «Critique of Pure Reason» and other works that were published later, after the first Critique. The article draws attention to Kant’s Lectures, which, on the one hand, demonstrate his critical attitude towards the so-called Wolfians, their metaphysics, and psychology, and, on the other hand, the lecture materials illustrate Kant's new conceptual position, and, what is important, develop, supplement and clarify it. The sources of Kant’s lectures are highlighted, taking into account the fact that we have at our disposal lecture notes, the authors of which are either unknown or, if known, their authorship is still somewhat doubtful, since they are notes that different people have rewritten. The article analyses lecture notes on psychology, the authors of which are more or less well-known, and experts recognize these notes as quite valid. The conceptual content of these lectures allows us to look at Kant’s understanding of the problem of the soul in a somewhat broader context compared to the «Critique of Pure Reason», where this problem is analyzed in connection with the paralogisms of reason and the transcendental deduction of categories. In his lectures on psychology, Kant draws attention to the problem of the interaction of the soul with the human body, the «location of the soul», linking it not so much to the organs of the human body (for example, the head) as to the location of a person as a bodily being in the world makes all acts of consciousness, self-awareness, and sense perception possible. Kant emphasizes the basic importance of such a spatial location of a person for the soul, as something that belongs to a person with a certain integrity, and not a separate organ, to act properly, to perform its cognitive functions. The article analyses the problem of existence, which is important for critical philosophy, its various modalities, and predication, with a special emphasis on the problem of the existence of metaphysical objects - the soul, God, and the world as a whole.

Диалектическое движение философской мысли: генезис Системы Знания в философии Александра Кожева. Статья первая: диалектика и дедогматизация

This work explores the main outline of the historical and philosophical conception of the French neo-Hegelian Alexandre Kojève, which is positioned within the Knowledge System as the culmination of sequential dialectics of philosophical discourse, concluded in the Hegelian philosophy. This representation is found in A. Kojève’s “Essai d’une histoire raisonnée de la philosophie païenne”, which is not only an analysis of ancient thought, going back to G. Hegel’s “Lectures on the History of Philosophy”, but also the author’s interpretation of the ge-nealogy of philosophical thought as such. After a series of incomplete resolutions of discursive antitheses by two philosophical doctrines in different historical periods the decisive role is attributed to I. Kant, whose philo-sophical system is a product, according to A. Kojève, of Judeo-Christianity and is its paradigmatic exponent. By crossing the eternal and the temporal through the dogma of the Incarnation, Christianity not only contributed to the emergence of Modern science, but also provided the opportunity for the emergence of Kantian philosophy, which established a “Christian” balance between the Lord and the Bondsman. Heterogeneous discursive com-ponents opposed ancient philosophical doctrines, thereby preparing the necessary ground for their merger, as well as for transforming oneself in this way into a Knowledge System. The research consists of two parts pub-lished in two separate articles. The first part is devoted to the beginning of the analysis of the Knowledge Sys-tem’s genesis in the context of A. Kojève’s historical-philosophical concept.

Georq Vilhelm Fridrix Hegel fəlsəfəsində analitik və sintetikin fərqi

The main goal of the article is to briefly review the difference between analytical and synthetic in Hegel's philosophy, as well as to determine whether this philosopher was a follower of Kant's philosophy or not. First, in the "Introduction" section, the difference between analytical and synthetic in Kant's philosophy is shown; moreover, Kant's influence on Hegel and, generally, on the period in question and the conclusions of both scientists on this issue are analyzed. In the article, the main features of Hegel's and Kant's worldviews and some conclusions related to the pair of concepts in Hegel's philosophy, i.e., analytical and synthetic concepts, are examined. In the conclusion of the article, Hegel's main philosophical views are identified, and the possibility of resolving the difference between analytical and synthetic through dialectical judgment is put forward.

포스트휴먼 칸트의 단초

Rather than simply breaking up with Kant, Deleuze and Foucault endeavored to delineate lines of thought that originated from Kant but extended beyond the limits set by Kant himself. Two pivotal inquiries, supplanting the foundational question of Kantian philosophy, “What is the human being?” guide this movement from within Kant to without: “What can a subject outside of the human-form be?” and “What can a faculty beyond the limits of the human-form do?”. This paper aims to explore the prospect that such a project of Kantianism beyond Kant could serve as the starting point for the task of rethinking Kant within the context of posthuman conditions and, conversely, contemplating the posthuman world through a Kantian lens. Consequently, this essay is not preoccupied with expressing sympathy for or offering counter-criticisms of the prevailing critiques of Kant’s humanism in numerous posthumanist theories. Instead, the principal objective of this paper is to problematize the oversimplified nature of this binary opposition. In essence, it seeks to elucidate the intricate relationship between posthumanity and Kantian philosophy that eludes the rigid constraints of the confrontational framework. This is accomplished through an examination of the works of Foucault and Deleuze, who, situated within Kant’s philosophical anthropology, identified vectors that problematize the very notion of the human, and employed them to develop new theories of subjectivity and faculties that transcend the conventional boundaries of anthropology.

Revisiting the origin of critical thinking

There are two popular views regarding the origin of critical thinking: (1) The concept of critical thinking began with Socrates and his Socratic method of questioning. (2) The term ‘critical thinking’ was first introduced by John Dewey in 1910 in his book How We Think. This paper argues that both claims are incorrect. Firstly, critical reflection was a distinguishing characteristic of the Presocratic philosophers, setting them apart from earlier traditions. Therefore, they should be recognized as even earlier pioneers of critical thinking. Secondly, John Dewey not only used the term ‘critical thinking’ before 1910, but there were also other authors who used it before him. The meaning of ‘critical thinking’ at the turn of the twentieth century was shaped by various traditions of linguistic usage, including literary criticism, science and medicine, and Kantian philosophy.

Justice at the End of War

This paper aims to critically analyse two conflicting ethical orientations that dominate the debate on the issue of justice in the post-war phase: minimalism and maximalism. The former approach narrows down the scope of the third aspect of just war theory, known as jus post bellum (justice after war), to the restoration of peace and the prevention of future hostilities. In contrast, the latter emphasizes the importance of achieving political objectives via military triumph and the use of force. Furthermore, it underscores the need for conscientious state-building after a military triumph in order to guarantee the welfare of individuals and the effectiveness of the justly established state. In line with Immanuel Kant's philosophy, it argues for minimalism by giving importance to upholding the rights of civilians and prisoners of war while striving to achieve enduring peace. In addition, it analyzes the fundamental concepts of Orend's maximalist approach to peace accords. These principles give priority to social justice, equality, human rights, democratic government, and social and economic progress. Orend's criteria for a fair peace settlement after a morally justified conflict include the vindication of rights, proportionality, discrimination, punishment, compensation, and rehabilitation. It also discusses the justifiability of regime change in this context. In line with Walzer, it contends that instances in which a new regime will be significantly better compared to the old one should be the only ones in which regime change is appropriate.

칸트 선험성에 기초한 학교안전정책 체계성 연구

The purpose of this paper is to infer the experientiality and complementarity of the concept of school safety based on Kant's concepts of inevitability and universality, which are signs of a priori, and to critically review school safety policies based on this. Kant's philosophy is based on a priori, and the a priori that makes experience possible is a sign of inevitability that does not allow coincidences and universality that does not allow exceptions. The concept of school safety subjectively has experiential characteristics based on coincidences and exception, and objectively has a complementary nature of individual studies related to curriculum and educational administration. The institutionalization of school safety instructor qualifications or the current mandatory school safety education hours and result reporting that do not meet these empirical and supplementary characteristics of school safety have limitations that make it difficult to achieve policy results. It is necessary to implement practical school safety by establishing and implementing policies that are consistent with the empirical and supplementary nature of school safety.

Immanuel Kant's philosophy and the reconstruction of Polish philosophy at the turn of the 20th century

The revival of Polish philosophy, after more than a century of partitions, took place at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. At that time, thanks to Wincenty Lutosławski, a correspondent at Kant-Studien, a stimulus was given to the fossilised and dispersed Polish philosophical community. The necessary reforms were spearheaded by Henryk Struve, Władysław Weryho, and Kazimierz Twarddowski. They became animators of philosophical life, establishing Przegląd Filozoficzny, the Polish Philosophical Society in Lviv and prompting the first Polish translations of Kant’s works. Through them, the reforms initiated deepened throughout the period up to the restoration of independence and later in free Poland. Kant’s philosophy became one of the pillars of these reforms. Thanks to them, a new kind of philosophical thinking took shape in Poland, marked by Kantian criticism.

Information on the worldwide reception of Kant's philosophy in Przegląd Filozoficzny

The reception of Immanuel Kant's philosophy in Poland was achieved in many different ways. One of these was the presentation of Kantian literature in the pages of Przegląd Filozoficzny. Moreover, it took place through various reporting sections, supervised by Kazimierz Twardowski. It was up to him to decide to whom and with what work to entrust for review. Reports, reviews and other dissertations were written in a fair, concise manner, reflecting mainly the content of the reviewed work. The reporting section was continued after 1911 by Kazimierz Twardowski in Ruch Filozoficzny. This does not mean that the section was discontinued in Przegląd Filozoficzny. It continued to develop, showcasing the achievements of world philosophy, including Kantian philosophy.

Following Kant's footsteps in Spain

In 1876, Hans Vaihinger, a German philosopher and professor at the University of Halle, founded the journal Kant-Studien. One of the main objectives of this project was to investigate the impact of Kantian philosophy outside Germany. The first correspondent for the journal was a Polish philosopher and national activist – Wincenty Lutosławski. His report on the study of the Spanish reception of Kant was published in the first issue of the journal Kant-Studien in 1897 under the title “Kant in Spanien.” In my article I present the history of the emergence of Lutosławski’s report and I describe the Polish encounters with Spanish culture and philosophy in the 19th century.

Kant on race and the radical evil in the human species

AbstractReligion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason remains one of the most opaque of Kant's published writings. Though this opacity belongs, partly, to the text itself, a key claim of this article is that this opacity stems also from the narrow lenses through which his readers view this text. Often read as part of Kant's moral philosophy or his universal history, the literature has thus far neglected a different vantage point on the Religion, one that does not refute the utility of these lenses but complements them. This paper places the Religion alongside parts of Kant's corpus that it is less typically paired with, namely his natural history writings—in particular, his writings on the concept of race and the development of the human races. I argue that by doing so, we can shed much light on Kant's infamous claim that there is a radical evil in the human species. More precisely, we will come to appreciate that this evil is not, as it is usually understood, a static property or fixed characteristic of human beings. Instead, radical evil concerns a dynamic, changing defect in human nature that increasingly threatens our aspirations to collective moral perfection.

«Великий рационалист»: Алексей Введенский о Канте в контексте русской кантианы

In 1904, the last January issue of the newspaper “Moskoskiye vedomosti” carried an article by Alexey I. Vvedensky, philosopher and theologian, Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy, entitled “The Great Rationalist. On the Centenary of Kant’s Death”. Although the publication could hardly be called unique for its time, as many Russian philosophers and journalists commented on this date, the article merits attention because of the way it represents Kant, and the fact that it sheds light on Vvedensky’s attitudes toward Kantian philosophy. Alexey Vvedensky is to this day a little-known figure in the history of Russian philosophy, such that I thought it would be helpful to preface the publication with a review of the landmarks in the Russian philosopher’s intellectual biography. I go on to demonstrate the ambivalent character of Vvedensky’s attitudes toward Kant’s philosophy. To this end, I show that the Russian philosopher, on one hand, calls for a “return to the universally acclaimed Kant”, whose genius he unreservedly recognises; and on the other hand, he argues that Kant should not only be studied and profoundly reflected on, but also overcome because his rationalism “has desiccated the thought of the new cultured humanity”.