Day 18: Transcendental Questions & Moral Philosophy

•      Final Exam Study Questions

•      The Transcendental Questions of the CPR

•      Structure of the CPR

•      Introduction to moral philosophy in general

•      Introduction to Kant’s moral philosophy

•      Read Scruton, chp. 5

The Transcendental Questions of the CPR

•      How is synthetic a priori cognition possible?  (CPR-B19)  This breaks down into 4 questions:

•      (1) How is pure mathematics possible?

•      (2) How is pure science of nature possible?

•      (3) How is metaphysics, as a natural disposition, possible?

•      (4) How is metaphysics, as science, possible?

Structure of the CPR

•      The Transcendental Doctrine of Elements

– The Transcendental Aesthetic (Deals with question one)

– The Transcendental Logic

– Transcendental Analytic (Deals with question two)

– Transcendental Dialectic (Deals with questions three and four)

•      The Transcendental Doctrine of Method (Deals with questions three and four)

Structure of the CPR

•      The Copernican Revolution

•      Things in themselves

Introduction to Moral Philosophy in General

•      Reason and moral philosophy

•      Religion and moral philosophy

•      Scope of the moral ought

•      Practical reason and theoretical reason

Introduction to Kant’s Moral Philosophy

•      Practical reason and theoretical (or pure) reason

•      How are synthetic a priori moral judgments possible?  Is that a fifth transcendental question?  No: CPR B28-29 & B833

•      Practical reason, morality, and religion

•      Moral philosophy and the Copernican Revolution