Transcendental Concepts, Reflection and Judgment. On § 12 of Kritik der reinen Vernunft

Abstract

This paper gives a reconstruction of the view Kant develops in the § 12 of his Kritik der reinen Vernunft trying to incorporate in his own conception the thematic core of the traditional metaphysical doctrine of the transcendental attributes of being. The systematic motivation and scope of Kant’s view in § 12 is better understood in connection with his explanation of the role of reflexive process underlying objective judgements in the “Amphiboly of Concepts of Reflexion”, as discussed in an earlier paper by the author. The interpretation offered here stresses the fact that the logical criteria Kant discusses in § 12 fulfill regulative functions guiding reflexive processes, especially in the case of the original formation of empirical concepts.