Abstract of:

 

KANT'S CRITIQUE OF MYSTICISM

 

 

by Stephen Palmquist (stevepq@hkbu.edu.hk)

 

 

            This is a series of two articles examining Kant's attitude toward mystical experiences and the relation between his interest in these and his interest in constructing a Critical System of metaphysics.

 

            I. "The Critical Dreams" begins by questioning the traditional division between "Critical" (1770 onwards) and "pre-Critical" periods in Kant's development.  After explaining Kant's Critical method, his 1766 book, Dreams of a Spirit-Seer... is examined and found to contain all the essential elements of that method.  The only key element which is missing is his "Copernican" insight.  Although Hume may have played an important role in the early 1760's in awakening Kant to the importance of his Critical method, this Copernican insight seems to have its roots more in Swedenborg than in Hume.  Moreover, Dreams itself should no longer be interpreted as evincing a sceptical or empirical stage in Kant's development, but can now be seen as setting for Kant the problem which his Critical System was intended to solve.  Dreams suggests the two strands of this problem:  (1) How is mystical experience possible? and (2) How is metaphysics possible?  Dreams offers a Critical answer to the first question, but does not fully develop its implications.

 

            II. "The Critical Mysticism" explores the extent to which Kant's writings prior to his Opus Postumum (and not including Dreams) contain a more developed theory of mystical experience.  Traditionally Kant has been regarded as against all brands of mysticism.  This arises partly from his narrow use of "mystical", but primarily from a misunderstanding by commentators of his statements concerning the possibility of supersensible experience.  The latter misunderstanding can be easily corrected by clearly distinguishing between "immediate experience" and experience in Kant's technical sense of "empirical knowledge".  Kant never denies the possibility of an immediate experience of supersensible reality, but only the supposition that such experiences can establish empirical knowledge.  The character of his Critical mysticism can be clearly seen, even without examining Kant's Opus Postumum (which was to describe fully his Critical mysticism).  For on numerous occasions he explains the two respects in which an immediate supersensible experience is not only acceptable, but supports and is supported by his Critical System.  The mysteries of nature and the moral law provide the two sides of Kant's mystical coin, both in theory and in the discipline of his own life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This etext is based on a prepublication draft of the published version of this essay.

 

Send comments to: StevePq@hkbu.edu.hk

 

My Web Counter identifies you as visitor number

 

For the page of published articles (and all the articles linked thereto), use:

 

 

to this page, last updated on 1 June 2001. Please come again!

 

Back to the listing of Steve Palmquist's published articles.