Kant
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Nafisa Waliyani
Ryan Johnson
Philosophy 1301
November 13, 2008
In the Critique of Judgment, Immanuel Kant unfolds quite a few divergent paths in order to explore the human faculty of judgment. Critique of Judgment deals with subjects related to teleology and science, however, it is known for Kant’s opinions on aesthetics. Kant not only explains the reason behind why things are seen as beautiful, but he also explains the idea of beauty and how the insight of beauty arises within people. In order to explicate judgment, Immanuel Kant creates the ideas of determinative judgment and reflective judgment, as well as aesthetic judgments of taste.
Kant defines judgment as, “…the faculty of thinking the particular as contained under the universal.” In other words, a judgment is the ability to understand how a single specific idea is classified within an extensive whole. Judgment contributes to the functioning of reason and understanding. Immanuel Kant further breaks down his definition of judgment into determinative judgment and reflective judgment.
In order to clearly define determinative judgment Kant says, “If the universal (the rule, the principle, the law) is given, then judgment, which subsumes the particular under it… is determining.” Thus, if the universal is defined by a certain rule, principle, or law, then it obviously includes the particulars that fit the categories. This type of judgment is a priori. This means that it is independent of prior knowledge. A person does not need to learn on their own of how a particular fits under a universal. Through understanding and reasoning a person can classify what rules make a particular fit under a universal. For example, we can use determinant judgment to study a hexagon. A hexagon must have six edges, six sides, and six vertices. Its internal angle is 120 degrees. All these rules make up the universal concepts that define a hexagon. Therefore, we can classify an object containing six edges, six...
Ryan Johnson
Philosophy 1301
November 13, 2008
In the Critique of Judgment, Immanuel Kant unfolds quite a few divergent paths in order to explore the human faculty of judgment. Critique of Judgment deals with subjects related to teleology and science, however, it is known for Kant’s opinions on aesthetics. Kant not only explains the reason behind why things are seen as beautiful, but he also explains the idea of beauty and how the insight of beauty arises within people. In order to explicate judgment, Immanuel Kant creates the ideas of determinative judgment and reflective judgment, as well as aesthetic judgments of taste.
Kant defines judgment as, “…the faculty of thinking the particular as contained under the universal.” In other words, a judgment is the ability to understand how a single specific idea is classified within an extensive whole. Judgment contributes to the functioning of reason and understanding. Immanuel Kant further breaks down his definition of judgment into determinative judgment and reflective judgment.
In order to clearly define determinative judgment Kant says, “If the universal (the rule, the principle, the law) is given, then judgment, which subsumes the particular under it… is determining.” Thus, if the universal is defined by a certain rule, principle, or law, then it obviously includes the particulars that fit the categories. This type of judgment is a priori. This means that it is independent of prior knowledge. A person does not need to learn on their own of how a particular fits under a universal. Through understanding and reasoning a person can classify what rules make a particular fit under a universal. For example, we can use determinant judgment to study a hexagon. A hexagon must have six edges, six sides, and six vertices. Its internal angle is 120 degrees. All these rules make up the universal concepts that define a hexagon. Therefore, we can classify an object containing six edges, six...