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1.
- (Preface) Consider the following two descriptions of “metaphysics”: (a)
metaphysics concerns our pure a priori knowledge of the world of experience
— that is, what we know about the objects of experience, but not based on
experience; (b) metaphysics concerns causes and principles of the world of
experience which are themselves outside the realm of experience. Why does
it seem that the outcome of this book will be positive with respect to (a),
telling us what we can hope to know about metaphysics in that sense and
how we can expect to know it, but completely negative with respect to (b),
telling us simply that we have no hope of such knowledge? Why, according
to Kant, do we nevertheless also obtain an important positive outcome from
the discussion of (b), as well?
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2.
- (Introduction) Using Kant’s example, “All bodies are extended,” explain
in two ways what it means to say that it is an analytic judgment: first way, by
thinking of judgments, in general, as the application of predicates to subjects
(so that the form of every judgment is something like “S is P”); second way,
by thinking of judgments in general as knowledge on a condition (so that
the form of every judgment is something like “Rule R holds on condition
C.”). Explain, in the same two ways, why “All bodies are heavy,” according
to Kant, is synthetic. How is a “third thing” involved in making such a
judgment, and what is the third thing in this case? Why, then, is it surprising
that some synthetic judgments (according to Kant) are also a priori?
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3.
- (Aesthetic) Explain Kant’s distinction between (human) “intuitions” and
“concepts” (just in general: you needn’t discuss in detail the special case
of pure intuition). Address the fact that intuitions are singular, immediate,
passive representations and concepts general, mediate, active ones — how
are those characteristics related to one another? Why, according to Kant,
must knowledge of an empirical object involve both of these two types of
representation? What role is played by each? Within the intuition, what is the
role, specifically, of sensation? What is it that “corresponds” to sensation?
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4.
- (Metaphysical Deduction) Using a simple empirical example (e.g., the
concept cinnabar, as discussed in class) explain how it must represent its
object if it is to be suitable as a subject for: (a) a universal categorical
judgment (e.g. “All cinnabar is red”); (b) a particular categorical judgment
(e.g. “Some cinnabar is shiny”); (c) a singular categorical judgment
(e.g. “This cinnabar weights 5 grams”). Assuming every empirical concept
must have these characteristics, why does this show that the three moments
of quantity (unity, plurality, and totality) are categories?