Kant on Transcendental Deduction
Uploaded by cooksterj on Oct 26, 2011
This paper examines Section 25 of Transcendental Deduction, contained in Critique of Pure Reason, in detail. (13 pages; 2 sources; MLA citation style.
I Introduction
Immanuel Kant’s work entitled Critique of Pure Reason is considered by many to be one of the most important philosophical studies ever written. In it, Kant attempts to reconcile two opposing viewpoints: reason and experience. Greatly simplified, the a priori viewpoint (reason) says that we know what we know because we know it; we reason it out. The a posteriori viewpoint says that we know what we know because we can prove it. Critique of Pure Reason attempts to find a middle ground.
This paper discusses one section (25) of the Critique. Perhaps the best way to approach the subject is to restate Kant’s words to make sure we know what he’s saying, and then see what conclusions we draw.
II Discussion
Section 25 of the “Transcendental Deduction” begins “On the other hand, in the transcendental synthesis of the manifold of representations in general…” and ends “… not as it would know itself if its intuition were intellectual.” (Kant, p. 168-169). (I’m using the Norman Kemp Smith translation, 1965).
The first sentence gives us a lot to think about: “On the other hand, in the transcendental synthesis of the manifold of representations in general, and therefore in the synthetic original unity of apperception, I am conscious of myself, not as I appear to myself, nor as I am in myself, but only that I am.” (Kant, p. 165). The first clause, “On the other hand” indicates that this is both an ongoing discussion and a comparison, and indeed it is, for in Section 24, Kant has been discussing inner intuition and how it affects our understanding of ourselves. He concludes “… so far as inner intuition is concerned, we know our own subject only as appearance, not as it is in itself.” (Kant, p. 165). The “on the other hand” indicates that now he is going to examine the opposite viewpoint—not intuition, but representation.
There are terms that need examination here: “transcendental synthesis” “manifold of representations” and “synthetic original unity of apperception” must be understood before we can go further. “Synthesis” is a process, a blending of separate parts into a whole, an active rather than a reflective state. Kant says:
“Space...