Kant's Critique of Pure Reason

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course is on Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, his attempt to confront our finite minds with reason’s infinite demands. We will examine why Kant thinks reality depends partly on our minds and how this makes possible metaphysical knowledge about the general structure of space, time, quantity, quality, relation, and modality. We will consider why Kant denies such knowledge about the soul, the world, and God, thereby making room for rational faith within ethics and science. We will also ask whether metaphysics can stand as a science separate from physics and mathematics, and what it means to critique reason itself. No prior knowledge of Kant is required. We will read the text closely and discuss it critically, aiming to grasp its main arguments, its architectonic, and its mind-bending ambition.