Combining Texts

Ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysic' and '21: Book of Ecclesiastes'

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3 ideas

12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 5. A Priori Synthetic
A priori synthetic knowledge is only of appearances, not of things in themselves [Kant]
     Full Idea: Through intuition we can only know objects as they appear to us (to our senses), not as they may be in themselves; and this presupposition is absolutely necessary if synthetic propositions a priori are to be granted as possible.
     From: Immanuel Kant (Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysic [1781], 283)
     A reaction: This idea is basic to understanding Kant, and especially his claim that arithmetic is a priori synthetic.
12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 9. A Priori from Concepts
A priori intuitions can only concern the objects of our senses [Kant]
     Full Idea: Intuitions which are possible a priori can never concern any other things than objects of our senses.
     From: Immanuel Kant (Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysic [1781], 283)
     A reaction: Given the Kantian idea that what is known a priori will also be necessary, we might have had great hopes for big-time metaphysics, but this idea cuts it down to size. Personally, I don't think we are totally imprisoned in the phenomena.
12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 10. A Priori as Subjective
A priori intuition of objects is only possible by containing the form of my sensibility [Kant]
     Full Idea: The only way for my intuition to precede the reality of the object and take place as knowledge a priori is if it contains nothing else than the form of sensibility which in me as subject precedes all real impressions through which I'm affected by objects.
     From: Immanuel Kant (Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysic [1781], 283)
     A reaction: This may be the single most famous idea in Kant. I'm not really a Kantian, but this is a powerful idea, the culmination of Descartes' proposal to start philosophy by looking at ourselves. No subsequent thinking can ignore the idea.