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Single Idea 6584

[from 'Critique of Pure Reason' by Immanuel Kant, in 1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 5. Metaphysics beyond Science ]

Full Idea

Kant stresses that reason, when it turns dialectical, posits immutable basic entities; these are the standard inhabitants of traditional a priori metaphysics - God, souls, Platonic ideas, Democritean indestructible atoms, and the like.

Gist of Idea

A priori metaphysics is fond of basic unchanging entities like God, the soul, Forms, atoms…

Source

report of Immanuel Kant (Critique of Pure Reason [1781]) by Robert Fogelin - Walking the Tightrope of Reason Ch.3

Book Reference

Fogelin,Robert: 'Walking the Tightrope of Reason' [OUP 2004], p.89


A Reaction

This sounds like a good warning, but it just invites the meta-question in a priori metaphysics 'Are we searching for something unchanging, or is this impossible?' Aristotle certainly addressed this question. The search strikes me as sensible.