A Study on the Major Premise of the Kantian Cosmological Syllogism

Abstract

The relationship between the logical maxim and the synthetic principle of pure reason (A 307–308/B 364–365) plays an important role in the “Transcendental Dialectic”. This is apparent by noting that the formulation of the problems treated in the Dialectic has an explicit reference to the transition from the maxim to the principle (A 308–309/B 365–366). Nevertheless, Kant doesn’t explain how this transition is made. I intend to explain this transition through a detailed study of the major premise of the cosmological syllogism, where it has an important role. I claim that this passage is understandable only by assuming a restricted logical maxim that allows inferring legitimately (for general logic) the unconditioned given from the conditioned given. The transcendental principle will be an extension of this maxim to things in self.