Synthesis of Ideas
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Synthesis of Ideas
Kant utilized both the rationalist and empiricist positions in his ideas of philosophy. Using rationalism, Kant utilizes the concept of priori. This is the stand that some of the human knowledge is acquired before existence or experience. Through this method of knowledge acquisition, human beings acquire knowledge using logic and as such, sensory experience is not utilized (Markie, 2017). On the other hand, Kant dismisses the idea that priori knowledge includes the knowledge of the nature of things. This is the idea that human beings have prior knowledge of God and the soul. As such, people have knowledge through innate ideas and develop concepts using the power of reasoning.
From empiricism, Kant acknowledges that knowledge is achieved from the experience that people gather from their experience through senses. Through empiricism, we learn that knowledge and concepts are ultimately acquired through our senses. As such, empiricism rejects the idea that intuition or innate knowledge is possible. As such, human beings have no innate (or in-born) concepts in various subject areas. As such, through sense as the only source of knowledge, the reason is rejected as a source of knowledge. From this analysis, empiricism then deduces that people do not know at all, especially at birth, since they have had no experience.
Kant developed his idea of philosophy by meshing both these rationalist and empiricist ideas. Kant developed a radical conception of the nature of gaining knowledge from experience. Kant suggests that the understanding of knowledge through experience is far-reaching and goes far beyond the interpretation of the senses. In this way, Kant states that the senses are a critical point of reporting external factors that we experience but cannot largely give the experience any form. The forms, in this case, are space, time, cause, and effect. As such, the mind is a crucial part of making form or structure. This is where the use of priori comes to play.
The sensations that human beings experience form the basis for the experience, but the regularity or structure that we are able to form from this experience is developed from the mental faculty. As such, the mental aspects have to have prior knowledge to be able to develop the form and structure. As such, there is a structure in our mental faculty that is innate, which gives the priori. Additionally, through the experience we gain, we are able to merge the experience and the priori to develop comprehensible realities that regard our understanding.
Additionally, since people can experience appearances, the appearances are as a result of things that are beyond experience. Since experience requires space and time, this means that appearances are beyond both realms. As such, there has to be a priori that is beyond this realm as well that enables the accurate acquisition or interpretation of the appearance. As such, there is the knowledge that we have from intuition or deduction. Therefore, we have some substantive knowledge of our outside world as innate. There is a need to note that this priori is rational. The concepts that we have accepted through experience and the innate knowledge enable human beings to have various standings on various issues. However, this does not mean that reality is the perception of human beings, but the reality is the laws of nature by which they are determined by the laws of our mental faculties (Rohlf, 2010).
References
Markie, P. (2017). Rationalism vs. Empiricism. (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rationalism-empiricism/#Empi
Rohlf, M. (2010). Immanuel Kant (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant/
Synthesis of Ideas
Name
Professor
Course
Date
Synthesis of Ideas
Kant utilized both the rationalist and empiricist positions in his ideas of philosophy. Using rationalism, Kant utilizes the concept of priori. This is the stand that some of the human knowledge is acquired before existence or experience. Through this method of knowledge acquisition, human beings acquire knowledge using logic and as such, sensory experience is not utilized (Markie, 2017). On the other hand, Kant dismisses the idea that priori knowledge includes the knowledge of the nature of things. This is the idea that human beings have prior knowledge of God and the soul. As such, people have knowledge through innate ideas and develop concepts using the power of reasoning.
From empiricism, Kant acknowledges that knowledge is achieved from the experience that people gather from their experience through senses. Through empiricism, we learn that knowledge and concepts are ultimately acquired through our senses. As such, empiricism rejects the idea that intuition or innate knowledge is possible. As such, human beings have no innate (or in-born) concepts in various subject areas. As such, through sense as the only source of knowledge, the reason is rejected as a source of knowledge. From this analysis, empiricism then deduces that people do not know at all, especially at birth, since they have had no experience.
Kant developed his idea of philosophy by meshing both these rationalist and empiricist ideas. Kant developed a radical conception of the nature of gaining knowledge from experience. Kant suggests that the understanding of knowledge through experience is far-reaching and goes far beyond the interpretation of the senses. In this way, Kant states that the senses are a critical point of reporting external factors that we experience but cannot largely give the experience any form. The forms, in this case, are space, time, cause, and effect. As such, the mind is a crucial part of making form or structure. This is where the use of priori comes to play.
The sensations that human beings experience form the basis for the experience, but the regularity or structure that we are able to form from this experience is developed from the mental faculty. As such, the mental aspects have to have prior knowledge to be able to develop the form and structure. As such, there is a structure in our mental faculty that is innate, which gives the priori. Additionally, through the experience we gain, we are able to merge the experience and the priori to develop comprehensible realities that regard our understanding.
Additionally, since people can experience appearances, the appearances are as a result of things that are beyond experience. Since experience requires space and time, this means that appearances are beyond both realms. As such, there has to be a priori that is beyond this realm as well that enables the accurate acquisition or interpretation of the appearance. As such, there is the knowledge that we have from intuition or deduction. Therefore, we have some substantive knowledge of our outside world as innate. There is a need to note that this priori is rational. The concepts that we have accepted through experience and the innate knowledge enable human beings to have various standings on various issues. However, this does not mean that reality is the perception of human beings, but the reality is the laws of nature by which they are determined by the laws of our mental faculties (Rohlf, 2010).
References
Markie, P. (2017). Rationalism vs. Empiricism. (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rationalism-empiricism/#Empi
Rohlf, M. (2010). Immanuel Kant (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant/