Kantian Philosophy Study Cards

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Immanuel Kant

A German philosopher who is considered one of the most important figures in Western philosophy. He developed the philosophical system known as Kantianism.

Categorical Imperative

A moral principle formulated by Kant that requires individuals to act only according to rules that they would be willing to see universally followed.

Transcendental Idealism

Kant's theory that knowledge is based on the interaction between the mind and the external world, with the mind imposing its own structures and categories on sensory experience.

Moral Philosophy

The branch of philosophy that deals with questions of right and wrong, good and evil, and moral responsibility.

Epistemology

The branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of knowledge, including its scope and limits, and the justification of beliefs.

Metaphysics

The branch of philosophy that deals with the fundamental nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, substance and attribute, and potentiality and actuality.

Aesthetics

The branch of philosophy that deals with the nature and appreciation of beauty, art, and taste.

Critique of Pure Reason

Kant's major work in epistemology, in which he investigates the limits and possibilities of human knowledge and argues for the existence of synthetic a priori knowledge.

Critique of Practical Reason

Kant's major work in moral philosophy, in which he explores the foundations of ethics and argues for the existence of moral duties based on reason.

Critique of Judgment

Kant's major work in aesthetics, in which he examines the nature of aesthetic experience and the criteria for judging beauty.

Kantian Ethics

The ethical theory developed by Kant, which emphasizes the importance of moral duty and the categorical imperative in determining right and wrong actions.

Kantian Metaphysics

The metaphysical system developed by Kant, which posits the existence of noumena (things as they are in themselves) and phenomena (things as they appear to us).

Kantian Epistemology

The epistemological theory developed by Kant, which argues that knowledge is a combination of sensory experience and the mind's innate structures and categories.

Kantian Aesthetics

The aesthetic theory developed by Kant, which emphasizes the importance of subjective judgment and the disinterested pleasure in determining aesthetic value.

Kantian Critique

The critical method employed by Kant in his major works, which involves subjecting various areas of knowledge to rigorous examination and analysis.

Autonomy

The capacity for self-governance and self-determination, which is a central concept in Kantian ethics.

Heteronomy

The condition of being governed by external forces or influences, which is seen as incompatible with moral autonomy in Kantian ethics.

Universalizability

The principle that moral judgments should be applicable to all rational beings, which is a key aspect of the categorical imperative in Kantian ethics.

Maxim

The subjective principle of action that an individual uses to determine how to act in a particular situation, which is subject to evaluation by the categorical imperative in Kantian ethics.

Hypothetical Imperative

A moral principle that applies only to individuals who have certain desires or goals, as opposed to the categorical imperative, which applies to all rational beings.

Practical Reason

The faculty of the mind that enables individuals to make rational judgments about what they ought to do, which is the basis for moral decision-making in Kantian ethics.

Pure Reason

The faculty of the mind that enables individuals to make rational judgments about what is true or false, which is the basis for knowledge in Kant's epistemology.

Phenomenal Reality

The world as it appears to us through our senses, which is shaped by the mind's structures and categories in Kant's transcendental idealism.

Noumenal Reality

The world as it is in itself, independent of our sensory experience and the mind's structures and categories, which is unknowable in Kant's transcendental idealism.

Teleological Judgment

Aesthetic judgment that is based on the perceived purpose or function of an object, as opposed to the purely sensory aspects of its beauty.

Disinterested Pleasure

The aesthetic pleasure that is derived from the contemplation of beauty, independent of any personal interest or desire.

Sublime

Aesthetic experience that is characterized by a sense of awe, wonder, and transcendence, often associated with the contemplation of vast natural landscapes or powerful forces of nature.

Antinomy

A contradiction or conflict between two seemingly valid but mutually exclusive claims, which Kant explores in his Critique of Pure Reason.

Synthetic A Priori

Knowledge that is both informative and known independently of experience, which Kant argues is possible in his Critique of Pure Reason.

Transcendental Deduction

Kant's argument in the Critique of Pure Reason that seeks to establish the necessary conditions for the possibility of knowledge and experience.

Humean Skepticism

The philosophical position associated with David Hume that denies the possibility of certain knowledge and argues for the limitations of reason and causality.

Practical Postulates

The three fundamental assumptions of practical reason: the existence of God, the immortality of the soul, and the freedom of the will.

Aesthetic Judgment

The subjective judgment of beauty or taste, which is based on the free play of the faculties of imagination and understanding.

Teleological Suspension

The act of setting aside one's personal desires or interests in order to fulfill a higher moral duty, as exemplified in Kant's discussion of Abraham and Isaac in his essay 'On the Supposed Right to Lie.'

Practical Anthropology

The study of human behavior and decision-making in practical matters, which Kant explores in his Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View.

Radical Evil

The capacity for human beings to commit acts of extreme moral depravity, which Kant argues is a consequence of their freedom and autonomy.

Intellectual Intuition

The direct apprehension of reality through pure reason, which Kant argues is not possible for human beings.

Moral Law

The universal and necessary principles of morality that are binding on all rational beings, according to Kant's ethical theory.