Will and Reason: A Critical Analysis of Kant's Concepts

Abstract

THIS PAPER SEEKS TO DELINEATE EVERYDAY USAGE OF THE TWOCONCEPTS--WILL AND REASON--IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY THESYSTEMATIC TRANSFORMATION THESE CONCEPTS UNDERWENT INKANT'S SYSTEM. IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED THAT EVEN IN OUREVERYDAY INTERPRETATION AND PARLANCE THERE ARE DIFFERENTMEANINGS OR NUANCES OR MEANINGS ATTRIBUTED TO THEPHENOMENON OF WILL AND PERHAPS ALSO, TO A LESSER EXTENT, TOTHE PHENOMENON OF WILL SERVE AS THE POINT OF DEPARTURE OFKANT'S CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CONCEPT "WILL" WHICH IS, INTHE FIRST INSTANCE, CONGRUENT WITH ITS ORDINARY USAGE. YETIN OTHER INSTANCES, AS WE SHALL SEE, KANT'SCHARACTERIZATION OF THE WILL IS IMBUED WITH SYSTEMATICMEANING WHICH HAS TO BE SEEN IN THE CONTEXT OF HISPHILOSOPHY IN GENERAL AND OF HIS PHILOSOPHY OF PRACTICE INPARTICULAR.