Kant and Skepticism / Michael N. Forster.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Forster, Michael N.

Series:

Princeton monographs in philosophy.

Princeton monographs in philosophy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Kant, Immanuel, 1724-1804.

Kant, Immanuel.

Skepticism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (163 p.)

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book puts forward a much-needed reappraisal of Immanuel Kant's conception of and response to skepticism, as set forth principally in the Critique of Pure Reason. It is widely recognized that Kant's theoretical philosophy aims to answer skepticism and reform metaphysics--Michael Forster makes the controversial argument that those aims are closely linked. He distinguishes among three types of skepticism: "veil of perception" skepticism, which concerns the external world; Humean skepticism, which concerns the existence of a priori concepts and synthetic a priori knowledge; and Pyrrhonian skepticism, which concerns the equal balance of opposing arguments. Forster overturns conventional views by showing how the first of these types was of little importance for Kant, but how the second and third held very special importance for him, namely because of their bearing on the fate of metaphysics. He argues that Kant undertook his reform of metaphysics primarily in order to render it defensible against these types of skepticism. Finally, in a critical appraisal of Kant's project, Forster argues that, despite its strengths, it ultimately fails, for reasons that carry interesting broader philosophical lessons. These reasons include inadequate self-reflection and an underestimation of the resources of Pyrrhonian skepticism.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

I. Exposition

Chapter One. Varieties Of Skepticism

Chapter Two. "Veil of Perception" Skepticism

Chapter Three. Skepticism and Metaphysics (A Puzzle)

Chapter Four. Kant's Pyrrhonian Crisis

Chapter Five. Humean Skepticism

Chapter Six. Kant's Reformed Metaphysics

Chapter Seven. Defenses against Humean Skepticism

Chapter Eight. Defenses Against Pyrrhonian Skepticism

II. Critical Assessment

Chapter Nine. Some Relatively Easy Problems

Chapter Ten. A Metaphysics of Morals?

Chapter Eleven. Failures of Self-Reflection

Chapter Twelve. The Pyrrhonist's Revenge

Notes

Index

Notes:

Originally published 2008.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786613069535

9781283069533

1283069539

9781400824403

1400824400

OCLC:

719321847