Kants Dialectical Limitations

Kant's Dialectic Limitations

"Mathematics, natural science, laws, arts, even morality, etc., do not completely fill the soul; there is always a space left over reserved for pure and speculative reason, the emptiness of which prompts us to seek in vagaries, buffooneries, and mysticism for what seems to be employment and entertainment, but what actually is mere pastime undertaken in order to deaden the troublesome voice of reason, which, in accordance with its nature, requires something that can satisfy it and does not merely sub serve other ends or the interests of our inclinations."

This statement comes from Immanuel Kant's Prolegomena of Future Metaphysics. It is a basic generalization and a concluding summary to the basic points found in the Prolegomena. It is also the basis for quandaries found by future philosophers such as Hegel and Marx. In Kant's view, dialectical reasoning is based on insufficiently examined premises which allow for unreliable tendencies. However by taking this position and limiting knowledge to that of which we can be certain, he creates a stagnant philosophy. Kant restricts his philosophy to the point that it is not capable of changing with history and he ignores the most interesting aspects of the human experience.

Kant used dialectic as the criticism of the logic of illusion in order to show the contradictions created when reason tries to go beyond experience to deal with transcendental objects, or the objects outside of human experience. Kant believed that judgments must be made using both reason and experience. He said that he didnÐ''t believe in the possibility of a judgment "to be derived merely from experience, and the necessity represented in them to be imaginary and a mere illusion produced in us by long habit." But he also believed that reason could not be the sole source of our judgment either. He also stated that "All cognition of things is merely from pure understanding or pure reason is nothing but sheer illusion and only in experience is there truth." His philosophy explained that only objects of experience are available within our knowledge because all else goes beyond our senses which are our foundations of knowledge. The things lying beyond experience are explained to be beyond our intellect and we simply assume knowledge of them. When we assume the non-experiential aspects of our judgments, the judgment is no longer based with substantial evidences as to its accuracy. Instead, the above-mentioned illusions are formed.

In Kant's mind, we have only a minimal certain knowledge of the actual reality. These few things we can be certain of in our own knowledge are considered a given to Kant and all else is based on the appearance of that which our senses perceive. In Kant's philosophy, all of our knowledge is based on these appearances not on ultimate realities. Instead, the ultimate realities behind these appearances, are not only non-important but are also proven to be non-certain. Here, Kant separates our minds from nature. He suggests that what we know as real is really only real to us and is not absolute. And although this could in fact be a possibility, he does not accurately prove the subject and instead it exists for him almost as an excuse for that which he can not explain.

In Kant's mind, non-certainty is a fact proven by his philosophy of contradictions. His philosophy of contradictions is based on the existence of both a thesis and an anti-thesis regarding one singular subject. He says that

"if we assume the principles of their combination as principles universally valid of things in themselves and not merely of experience, as is usually, nay, without our Critique unavoidably, done, there arises an unexpected conflict which never can be removed in the common dogmatic way; because the thesis, as well as the antithesis, can be shown by equally clear, evident and irresistible proofsÐ'..."

This is to say, that Kant believes that two apparent truths can contradict each other yet be arrived at through reason. This is what Kant refers to as "dialectical assertions through pure reason." Although the reasoning is thought to be pure, it can still be invalidated and therefore should be left out of philosophy. Thus, Kant places limitations upon reason.

Kant limits philosophy by declaring dialectical reasoning improvable and inaccurate. Kant connotes dialectic with contradictory and eradicates it from his idea of philosophy. However, what Kant declares dialectical is precisely the point at which philosophy becomes interesting.

Kant relied heavily on scientific proofs to demonstrate the reality of judgments. Because things such as God and immortality, or love or even freedom are thought to exist in themselves, Kant excludes them from