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What Kind of Possibility Allows for Kant's History of Pure Reason

Development
Knowledge
Constructivism
Critical Theory
Freedom
Methods
Ethics
Normative Theory
Sorin Baiasu
Keele University
Sorin Baiasu
Keele University

Abstract

Chapter 4 of Kant's "Transcendental Doctrine of Method" in the First Critique has the title "The History of Pure Reason". Hence, a history of pure reason exists and, hence, is possible. Yet, if pure reason is to be understood generally as the sum of a priori structures which make possible our thinking, understanding, judgement and sensibility (and this is how Kant uses the expression 'pure reason'), then a history of this pure reason cannot take place. This is because a history of pure reason would need to make sense of it topic without relying on the conditions which make possible thinking, judging, understanding, perceiving. In this paper I aim to explore the kind of possibility, if any, which would allow Kant to provide a history of pure reason. Such an account would also have implications for how we understand political change at a deep level - not only simply in terms of changing a state of affairs to move closer to the norms of a rightful condition, but in terms of changing our view of how we make sense of the rightful condition.