Abstract for the Kant in Asia
International Conference
at Hong Kong Baptist University
20-23 May 2009
Simon Shengjian Xie, “Is Kant a Western Philosopher?”
This
title may sound nonsensical to many people. The reason I pose this question is
based on two concerns: the first is regarding the definition of the term
“western” and the second is regarding the nature of Kant’s philosophy with
comparison to both western and eastern philosophy. If Anglo-American is the loose synonym of the term “western” nowadays,
then Kant cannot be regarded as a “western” philosopher for his philosophy
shares little in common with the “metaphysics” of Anglo-American analytic
philosophy such as the “scientific world view” and the omnipotence of logic. By
comparison, Kant shares a lot more with Chinese philosophy in metaphysics and
ethics. By answering the title
question, I will have to discuss the definitions of the very basic
philosophical terms like metaphysics, ethics, epistemology and logic and to assess
the positions of Kant’s philosophy, Chinese philosophy as well as analytic
philosophy in the overall philosophical framework.