Abstract for the Kant in Asia
International Conference
at Hong Kong Baptist
University
20-23 May 2009
Claude Piché,
“The Felt Need of Reason in Kant's Was heisst: sich him Denken orientieren?”
In
his text “Was heisst: sich im Denken orientieren?” Kant takes the risk of stressing the role of feeling in rational faith. There is a risk involved here because
feeling is at the very center if the thesis he opposes: Jacobi’s conception of
faith as an inner revelation. Kant
is nevertheless ready to integrate feeling as a constitutive part of his view
on rational faith as long as it expresses a “need of reason” itself, and not an
act of blind faith. He sees that
Mendelssohn rationalism, which aims at establishing a proof of God’s existence
and of a future life on strictly theoretical (objective) grounds, is clearly
insufficient and provides no orientation. In fact, orientation in the sensible
as well as in the intelligible world always involves the mediation of a
subjective feeling. The unity of
personhood in the realm of rational faith has therefore to take into account
the sensible and the rational aspects of the phenomenon.