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stankovic, sasa thesis.pdf - Atrium - University of Guelph

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concept <strong>of</strong> body does not occur, but which nevertheless contains the condition <strong>of</strong> that concept),<br />

namely, that everything composite is alterable; if I then proceed from this to a proposition which<br />

is less remote and stands under the condition <strong>of</strong> the last-named proposition, namely, that bodies<br />

are composite; and if from this I finally pass to a third proposition, which connects the more<br />

remote knowledge (alterable) with the knowledge actually before me, and so conclude that<br />

bodies are alterable - by this procedure I have arrived at knowledge (a conclusion) by means <strong>of</strong> a<br />

series <strong>of</strong> conditions (the premises)” (CPR B386). In other words, Kant’s point is that in the<br />

descending series reason does arrive at knowledge. If it is the case that the ability to understand<br />

conceptualizes that all things change and that all bodies are things, reason infers that all bodies<br />

change. In this way, reason arrives at the universal that is also actually the case. “The rule states<br />

something universally, subject to a certain condition. The condition <strong>of</strong> the rule is found to be<br />

fulfilled in an actual case. What has been asserted to be universally valid under that condition is<br />

therefore to be regarded as valid also in the actual case, which involves that condition” (CPR<br />

B386). In other words, we do know that all bodies change. However, Kant is not interested in the<br />

descending series, that is, in the episyllogism. Instead, he is interested in the ascending series, in<br />

other words, in the prosyllogism. What does that mean? Because the ascending series moves<br />

from the conditioned to its conditions and the descending series moves from the conditions to the<br />

conditioned, the activity <strong>of</strong> extending conditioned knowledge into unconditioned applies to the<br />

ascending series and not to the descending series. “For in the case <strong>of</strong> the given conditioned,<br />

conditions are presupposed, and are considered as given together with it. On the other hand,<br />

since consequences do not make their conditions possible, but rather presuppose them, we are<br />

not called upon, when we advance to consequences or descend from a given condition to the<br />

conditioned, to consider whether the series does or does not cease…” (CPR A410/B427). Thus<br />

40

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