Abstract for the Kant in Asia
International Conference
at Hong Kong Baptist
University
20-23 May 2009
Pong Wen-berng, “Mou Zongsan's critique of theory of self-consciousness
in Kant's first Critique”
In
Critique of Pure Reason Kant claimed that the principle of transcendental
apperception is the highest principle of human knowledge (B136). Kant argued in
both editions of First Critique (1781/1787) the same claim in two different
presentations, both of which were disputed in many different ways in the
history of philosophy. One of the famous critique of this theory in the Chinese
speaking world was offered by Mou Zongsan(1919-1995). His
critiques are based mostly on the Chinese traditional Confucianism that was
articulated in Intellectual Intuition and Chinese Philosophy (1971) and Appearance
and Thing-in-itself (1975). In this paper I will try to summarize Mou’s main arguments in both writings and answer the
following three different problems:
(1) Did Mou Zongsan understand Kant
right?
(2) What
is his main critique of Kant?
(3) Can
his critique philosophically be justified?
My intention in this study is to find
out a connecting point between eastern and western philosophy.