Self-Affection and Pure Intuition in Kant. Issue 4 (2nd October 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Indregard, Jonas Jervell
• Is Part Of: Australasian journal of philosophy. Volume 95:Issue 4(2017)
• Page Start: 627
• Page End: 643
• Publication Date: 2017-10-02
• Subjects: affection -- causal power -- influence -- Immanuel Kant -- space -- time; Philosophy -- Periodicals; Psychology -- Periodicals; 105
• DOI: 10.1080/00048402.2017.1286511
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0004-8402

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Are the pure intuitions of space and time, for Kant, dependent upon the understanding's activity? This paper defends the recently popular Self-Affection Thesis (SAT): namely, that the pure intuitions require an activity of self-affection—an influence of the understanding on the inner sense. Two systematic objections to this thesis have been raised: The Independence objection claims that SAT undermines the independence of sensibility; the Compatibility objection claims that certain features of space and time are incompatible with being the products of the understanding's activity. I show that the resources to rebut these objections can be found in Kant's account of causal influence.