The Philosophy Of Immanuel Kant
Summary
TLDRThis video script delves into Immanuel Kant's Transcendental Idealism, emphasizing the unknowability of the external world and the mind's role in shaping our reality. It outlines Kant's distinction between a priori and a posteriori knowledge, and introduces phenomena and noumena as the basis of our sensory perceptions. The script encourages viewers to explore Kant's philosophy further, suggesting readings by Wallace, Schopenhauer, and Durant for a deeper understanding of his complex ideas.
Takeaways
- 📚 The 19th century is often associated with Immanuel Kant's influential philosophy, particularly his Transcendental Idealism.
- 🤔 Kant's complex philosophy suggests that the external world is unknowable, and what we perceive as reality is an interpretation by our minds.
- 📈 Kant distinguishes between a priori knowledge, which is independent of experience, and a posteriori knowledge, which is derived from sensory experience.
- 🔢 An example of a priori knowledge is the mathematical truth that 2 + 2 equals 4, a fact that holds regardless of any sensory input.
- 🐕 An example of a posteriori knowledge is the statement 'My dog is black,' which requires sensory confirmation and can change with new evidence.
- 🍊 Kant uses the example of an orange to illustrate phenomena, the sensory experiences that shape our understanding of objects, versus noumena, the objects as they exist independently of our perception.
- 🚫 Kant warns against speculation about noumena, stating that such metaphysical inquiry is like navigating a dark ocean without guidance.
- 🧠 He advocates for self-examination of our mental faculties to better understand our perceptions and the nature of reality.
- 🎭 Kant's transcendental philosophy focuses on our a priori concepts of objects rather than the objects themselves, influencing later philosophers like Schopenhauer and Nietzsche.
- 📖 For further study, Will Durant recommends starting with Wallace's 'Kant' and Schopenhauer's 'The World as Will and Idea' for a critique of Kant's work.
- 🔗 The video script suggests additional resources for understanding Kant's philosophy, including Durant's 'The Story of Philosophy,' with links provided in the video description.
Q & A
Who is considered to have had the most influence on the 19th-century philosophy?
-Immanuel Kant is considered to have had the most influence on the 19th-century philosophy.
What did Will Durant say about Kant's philosophy?
-Will Durant said that Kant labored to rescue mind from matter, argued against the uses of 'pure reason,' and brought back the beliefs of the ancient faith through his complex thought.
What is the focus of the video script on Immanuel Kant's philosophy?
-The video script focuses on aspects of Kant's Transcendental Idealism, particularly his claim that the external world is unknowable and that our reality is an interpretation from our minds.
What are the two distinctions of knowledge according to Kant?
-The two distinctions of knowledge according to Kant are a priori knowledge, which can be known without experience or data from the senses, and a posteriori knowledge, which is gained through sensory experience.
What is an example of a priori knowledge?
-An example of a priori knowledge is the understanding that 2 + 2 will always equal 4, as this is a mathematical truth that does not require sensory experience to be known.
What does Kant mean by 'phenomena'?
-By 'phenomena,' Kant refers to the realities or appearances that are interpreted from our minds, which are the only aspects of the world that we can know.
What is the definition of 'noumena' according to Kant?
-Noumena, according to Kant, are things that exist regardless of our minds' interpretations, and they are unknowable because we can only know the world as it is presented to us through our senses.
How does Kant describe our interaction with an orange in terms of phenomena?
-Kant describes our interaction with an orange as a combination of sensations such as touch, temperature, smell, sight, and taste, which together create the 'thing' we call an orange, all of which are phenomena.
What does Kant suggest we should do instead of speculating about noumena?
-Instead of speculating about noumena, Kant suggests that we should examine our own mental abilities and how they relate to what we perceive in our own personal reality.
What does Kant call his effort to answer problems that transcend sense-experience?
-Kant calls his effort to answer problems that transcend sense-experience 'transcendental philosophy.'
What are some recommended readings to learn more about Immanuel Kant according to the video script?
-The video script recommends starting with Wallace's 'Kant,' Schopenhauer's 'The World as Will and Idea,' and reading the section on Kant in Will Durant's 'The Story of Philosophy.'
Outlines
🎓 Kant's Transcendental Idealism and the Limits of Knowledge
This paragraph introduces Immanuel Kant as the defining philosopher of the 19th century, with a particular focus on his Transcendental Idealism. It discusses Kant's argument that the external world is unknowable, and that our reality is a construct of our minds. The script emphasizes the complexity of Kant's philosophy and the ongoing debates surrounding it. It also outlines the concepts of a priori and a posteriori knowledge, explaining that a priori knowledge is independent of experience, exemplified by mathematical truths, while a posteriori knowledge is derived from sensory experience and is subject to change. The paragraph concludes with an invitation to subscribe for more philosophical content and a quote from Kant about the progression of knowledge from the senses to reason.
🌐 Phenomena, Noumena, and the Nature of Reality in Kant's Philosophy
This paragraph delves deeper into Kant's distinction between phenomena and noumena. Phenomena are the appearances of reality as interpreted by our minds, while noumena are things that exist independently of our perceptions. Kant argues that we can only know phenomena, as our senses limit our understanding of reality. The paragraph uses the example of an orange to illustrate how our senses create our perception of the object. It also touches on Kant's caution against speculating about noumena, likening metaphysics to a dark ocean without guidance. The script suggests that self-examination of our mental faculties can provide deeper insights into philosophical questions. It ends with a reference to Will Durant's view of Kant's impact on philosophy and a teaser for future videos on Kant's philosophy, along with recommendations for further reading.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Immanuel Kant
💡Transcendental Idealism
💡Phenomenal and Noumenal
💡A priori and A posteriori
💡Senses
💡Reason
💡Metaphysics
💡Will Durant
💡Schopenhauer
💡Nietzsche
Highlights
The 19th century is often attributed to Immanuel Kant for his influential philosophy.
Kant's philosophy is considered complex and difficult to capture in a single video.
Focus will be on Kant's Transcendental Idealism and the claim that the external world is unknowable.
Kant's writings stir ongoing debate among philosophers, with his Transcendental Idealism remaining an enigma.
Kant's quote emphasizes that all knowledge begins with the senses and ends with reason.
Kant distinguishes between a priori knowledge, independent of experience, and a posteriori knowledge, dependent on sensory experience.
A priori knowledge includes mathematical truths, such as 2+2 always equaling 4.
A posteriori knowledge is subject to change based on new sensory evidence.
Kant introduces the concepts of phenomena and noumena to describe the knowable and unknowable aspects of reality.
Phenomena are the appearances interpreted by our minds, while noumena exist independently of our perceptions.
The example of an orange illustrates how our senses create our understanding of phenomena.
Noumena represents the unknowable aspect of reality beyond our sensory perceptions.
Kant advises against speculation about noumena, likening metaphysics to a dark ocean.
Kant's transcendental philosophy is more concerned with our a priori concepts of objects than the objects themselves.
Philosophers like Schopenhauer and Nietzsche accepted Kant's reduction of the world to mere appearance as a necessary foundation for philosophy.
The video suggests further exploration of Kant's philosophy in future videos.
Will Durant's recommendation for understanding Kant includes starting with Wallace's Kant and Schopenhauer's World as Will and Idea.
Durant's section on Kant in The Story of Philosophy is also recommended for further reading.
Transcripts
It can be said that the 18th century most certainly belonged to the likes of Hume
and Voltaire, but the 19th would be awarded to the immensely influential philosophy of
Immanuel Kant. As said best by philosopher and historian Will Durant “It was Kant who labored
best to rescue mind from matter; who argued so irrefutably (because so unintelligibly)
against the uses of ‘pure reason,’ and who, by the prestidigitation of his thought,
brought back to life, magician-wise, the dear beliefs of the ancient faith.” I believe it
would be foolish and near impossible to capture the immensely complex philosophy of Immanuel Kant
in just one video, so instead we will focus on aspects of his Transcendental Idealism,
namely on his claim that the external world is unknowable and that the reality we know
is only mere interpretation from our minds. The fantastic and exhilarating thing about
Kant is that his writings, profound as they are, stir debate among philosophers. The identity of
his Transcendental Idealism remains to this day an enigma. Keep in mind as we continue; that your
interpretation may differ slightly from my own. Before getting started I would be incredibly
grateful if you would subscribe to the channel, I post videos relating
to eastern and western philosophy every week. I would like to begin with a quote from Kant
himself, he said “All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding,
and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason.” Beneath the surface of this
statement from Kant, there is much to unpack. First that there are two distinctions of knowledge
that must be understood, knowledge that is a priori and knowledge that is a posteriori.
A priori meaning in Lain “from the former;” refers to knowledge that can be known without
experience or data from the senses. A prime example of this is mathematical equations,
for we cannot conceive that 2 + 2 can or will ever in this world or any other equal anything but 4,
because 2+2 and 4 are one in the same expressed differently. Likewise we cannot begin to think
that the shortest distance between two points will ever be anything but a straight line.
A posteriori meaning in Latin “from the latter;” refers to knowledge gained through sensory
experience and cannot be understood independently of reference to sensory knowledge. For example
the statement “My dog is black” would not be knowable without first gaining sight
conformation of his black color. This knowledge unlike a priori knowledge is subject to change
upon one gaining broader evidence. Second we move to the senses,
for Kant said “all knowledge begins with the senses.” In order to understand Kant we must
understand the terms phenomena and noumena as he understood them, he believed that all
objects can be categorized as one or the other. In regards to phenomena Kant explains this
term as “the realities or appearances that are interpreted from our minds.”
And in regards to noumena he explains this to be the things that exist regardless of
our minds interpretations. Kant claimed that this knowledge will always be unknown
because we only have the ability to know the world that is presented to us from our mind.
Kant does not mean to convey that an external world outside of our mind’s
personal perception does not exist, but only that our mind limits reality, that phenomena
and phenomena only can be known since we only know the world around us through our senses.
I think an example is in order to better explain. Let us take an orange as this
example. We feel the shape and texture of the its rind, the cool temperature of its core,
we smell the citrus entering through our nostrils, we see the bright orange color
reflecting through our retinas, and we taste the combination of sweetness and bitterness saturating
our taste buds. When combined these sensations have created this “thing” we name an orange,
all of this is phenomena, what we can know. Outside of these sensations we can conceive
that this “thing” presumably still exists, this is noumena and will always be unknowable
as our sensation Kant believed is all that we can truly know, anything else is only
speculation. This is the limitation of the mind. He believed that speculation about noumena should
be avoided and said that “metaphysics is a dark ocean without shores or lighthouse,
strewn with many a philosophic wreck.” Instead of this speculation we should spend our hours
examining our own mental abilities and how they relate to what we perceive in our own personal
reality. By this self-examination he thought that we would learn more about important philosophic
questions. With this view of metaphysics I suppose Kant as said by Durant “did not
foresee that the greatest of all metaphysical tempests was to be of his own blowing.”
The effort to answer these problems that transcend sense-experience Kant
calls his transcendental philosophy, and it is not so much concerned with the objects,
as with our a priori concepts of objects. “Even so matter-of-fact a man as Schopenhauer,
and rabid a heretic as Nietzsche, accepted him, and looked upon his reduction of the world to
mere appearance as the indispensable preliminary of every possibly philosophy” – Will Durant. In
future videos I plan to expatiate on this as well as other aspects of Kant’s philosophy.
I attempted to explain this small part of Kant’s philosophy to the best of my current ability and
as said earlier in the video the identity and credibility of his philosophy remains debated. I
hope this video has helped you understand this one aspect of his incredibly complex philosophy. If
you would like to learn more about Immanuel Kant Will Durant recommended starting with Wallace’s
Kant, and for a great criticism of his work to read Schopenhauer’s World, Will, and idea. I could
also recommend reading Durant’s section on Kant in his book The Story of Philosophy; I will put the
links to these as well as the audiobook version of this work of Durant’s in the description below. I
hope this video has helped you in some way, if so don’t forget to subscribe to see more on eastern
and western philosophy, as always, thank you for talking philosophy with me, until next time.
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