Kant's Metaphysics of the Self

Philosophers' Imprint 10:1-21 (2010)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

I argue that Kant's Critique of Pure Reason offers a positive metaphysical account of the thinking self. Previous interpreters have overlooked this account, I believe, because they have held that any metaphysical view of the self would be incompatible with both Kant's insistence on the limitations of cognition and with his project in the Paralogisms. Closer examination, however, shows that neither of those aspects of the Critique precludes a metaphysical account of the self, and that other aspects (namely, the structure of Kant's overall project and the commitments of his claims in the Transcendental Deduction) require such an account. Drawing on a principle of 'effect-relative composition,' I argue that Kant's self is neither an activity, a form, nor a representation, but instead an individual constituted by the thing or things that bring about the unity of a course of experience.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,221

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Kant's account of nature's systematicity and the unity of theoretical and practical reason.Lara Ostaric - 2009 - Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 52 (2):155 – 178.
The Principles of the First Critique.James C. Hebbeler - 2012 - Review of Metaphysics 65 (3):555-579.
The Metaphysics of Kantian Epistemology.Avery Goldman - 2002 - Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 76:239-252.
The Role of Reflection in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason.Houston Smit - 1999 - Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 80 (2):203–223.
Immanuel Kant, critical assessments.Ruth F. Chadwick (ed.) - 1992 - New York: Routledge.
Kant and the Discipline of Reason.Brian A. Chance - 2015 - European Journal of Philosophy 23 (1):87-110.

Analytics

Added to PP
2010-08-25

Downloads
244 (#75,067)

6 months
9 (#144,107)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Colin Marshall
University of Washington

Citations of this work

Kant, the transcendental designation of I, and the direct reference theory.Luca Forgione - 2019 - Theoria : An International Journal for Theory, History and Fundations of Science 34 (1): 31-49.
Kant on Cognizing Oneself as a Spontaneous Cognizer.Markus Kohl - 2020 - Canadian Journal of Philosophy 50 (3):395-412.
Lotze on Comparison and the Unity of Consciousness.Mark Textor - 2022 - Canadian Journal of Philosophy 52 (5):556-572.

View all 8 citations / Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references