Class notes Introduction to German Idealism 1/26

Class notes Introduction to German Idealism (1/26) The Project of the Enlightenment and German Idealism (1781 - 1821) Topic: Kant's project of philosophy as the ultimate attempt to ground the ideals of the Enlightenment in subjective (transcendental) idealism. German Idealism is the culmination to and successor of the Enlightenment. Enlightenment: Aims at the transformation of thought and society through freedom - the unhindered application of reason. Freedom is based on the autonomous use of reason (Enlightenment is the movement of liberation of reason from the dictates of tradition and religious and political authority. First stage: Montaigne, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz etc. Second stage: self-reflective Enlightenment: Immanuel Kant 1781 (And: Mendelsohn) Was ist Aufklärung? Autonomous public use of reason within bounds and limits of social and ethical life moving towards the Enlightened Age. Private use of reason: individual's own understanding Public use of reason: the dialog between experts Aim: convincing the political leadership to allow for a free University and free clergy. The three Critiques are the outworking of the search for autonomous reason: 1. Critique of Pure Reason: within the limits of the Appearances Human reason provides the general structures of knowledge because they are at the same time the conditions of experience. 2. Critique of Practical Reason: in the analysis of actual moral reasoning the inner structure of reason is at work. Conformity of reason with itself is the basis for the general structure of all moral reasoning i.e. the categorical imperative. In order to be fully free, Reason must limit itself to this structure.(Both descriptive and prescriptive.) 3. The Critique of the Faculty of Judgment (aesthetic reason) shows aesthetic judgments to express the inner harmony of the sensuous and intellective faculties in ascribing objectivity to judgments of aesthetic appreciation. Reason can, by limiting itself to experience, ground its own autonomy in science, morality and art. (Separately Kant makes this argument for the transformation of religion into morality.) © R.A. Veen, 2010