Kant’s Transcendental Idealism: A Deep Dive
Theory of Sensitivity: The Transcendental Aesthetic
Kant addressed the first faculty of reason, the power to sense perceptions, in the Transcendental Aesthetic. All knowledge, according to Kant, is a synthesis between matter and form. Matter is the content, and form is what the transcendental subject imposes. Matter and form make scientific knowledge possible.
Sensible Knowledge
Sensible knowledge is a synthesis between sensations and the a priori forms of sensibility: space and time.
Synthetic A Priori
Read MoreHume’s Critique: Causality, Knowledge, and Human Nature
Hume’s Critique of Causality
Hume critiqued the principle of causality, arguing that new knowledge often arises from reasoning. He distinguished between the validity of arguments based on the relation of ideas and those based on knowledge of facts.
Reasoning Based on Ideas
Reasoning based on the relationship between ideas guarantees apodictic and conclusive evidence in the conclusion due to the necessity of the premises.
Reasoning Based on Factual Knowledge
In arguments based on factual knowledge, the
Read MoreDescartes’ Philosophy: From Doubt to Certainty
Descartes’ Philosophy: Method, Doubt, and Existence
Descartes, before the collapse of Scholastic philosophy, took a stand against skepticism. Skeptics did not believe that knowledge is neat and tidy. His aim was to create a system of knowledge that allows us to know the truth with strength and security. To find these truths, he followed a path called “the method,” which uses reason. This method involves two key activities: intuition and deduction. The method has four rules, the first being the most
Read MorePlato’s Philosophy: Soul, Body, Knowledge, and Virtue
Plato’s Conception of Soul and Body
Plato presents a dualistic view of human beings, emphasizing the priority of the soul over the body. He posits that man *is* his soul, an intermediary reality between two worlds. Plato offers various explanations of the soul:
- The rational soul: Immortal and divine, located in the brain.
- The irascible soul: Inseparable from the body, located in the torso, and mortal.
- The appetitive soul: Source of passions, located in the abdomen, and mortal.
This theory is dualistic
Read MoreCitizenship in Greco-Roman Antiquity
Source Citizenship
Citizenship is defined as the status of a person recognized under the custom or law as being a legal member of a sovereign state or belonging to a nation. Key features include:
- Membership in a political community within a defined territory.
- Enjoyment of rights, including the ability to participate in the government.
Citizenship in Greco-Roman Antiquity
Citizenship in Ancient Rome
In ancient Rome, a citizen was typically a freeborn adult male, born to Roman parents. Non-citizens had
Read MoreKant’s Transcendental Idealism: Understanding Knowledge
Kant’s Epistemology
Knowledge, according to Kant. Rationality encompasses the realm of knowledge and action, and reason is the instrument that guides action. Our scope of knowledge and theoretical reason is what Kant calls the sphere of action, or practical reason. Rationalists defend reason that starts from itself and its innate contents to reach universal, certain knowledge. Empiricists, however, argue that reason relies on data from experience, and as experience changes, so does our knowledge.
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