29.01.2013 Views

The Doctrine of Self-positing and Receptivity in Kant's Late ...

The Doctrine of Self-positing and Receptivity in Kant's Late ...

The Doctrine of Self-positing and Receptivity in Kant's Late ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

5. <strong>The</strong> ground for the validity <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>ner possibility‘s relationship to someth<strong>in</strong>g<br />

Wirkliches lays <strong>in</strong> existence.<br />

a. As said earlier, the fulfillment <strong>of</strong> the pr<strong>in</strong>ciple <strong>of</strong> contradiction <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>ner<br />

possibility requires two elements – formal <strong>and</strong> material.<br />

b. In order to fulfill the formal it is necessary to establish that <strong>in</strong> the material<br />

element <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>ner possibility (predicates or characteristic marks) no<br />

contradictions arise.<br />

c. <strong>The</strong> conceptual content <strong>of</strong> predicates can be made dist<strong>in</strong>ct <strong>and</strong> known<br />

through analysis.<br />

d. Analysis can go ad <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>itum or reach a concept that has no more content –<br />

there is either no end <strong>in</strong> secur<strong>in</strong>g the complete lack <strong>of</strong> contradiction, or no<br />

content that can be contradicted.<br />

e. This <strong>in</strong>capacity shows that the pr<strong>in</strong>ciple <strong>of</strong> contradiction is unable to<br />

sufficiently establish the <strong>in</strong>ner possibility <strong>of</strong> the logical element alone.<br />

f. All that is left when consider<strong>in</strong>g the Wirkliches <strong>of</strong> that <strong>in</strong>ner possibility is<br />

that through which someth<strong>in</strong>g was given as material element <strong>of</strong> possibility.<br />

In other words, that through which someth<strong>in</strong>g is posited absolutely:<br />

existence or Dase<strong>in</strong>.<br />

g. It follows that the <strong>in</strong>ner possibility <strong>of</strong> someth<strong>in</strong>g actual is grounded <strong>in</strong><br />

someth<strong>in</strong>g else that exists.<br />

h. To serve as a priori ground, the said existence must be shown to be an<br />

―unconditional necessary existence.‖<br />

6. <strong>The</strong>re exists an unconditionally necessary Wesen [be<strong>in</strong>g or entity]:<br />

a. To determ<strong>in</strong>e ―absolute real necessity,‖ it must be shown that there is a<br />

reason why it can absolutely not be the case that an existent th<strong>in</strong>g not be.<br />

i. S<strong>in</strong>ce existence is not a predicate, this cannot be accounted for<br />

through contradiction.<br />

ii. <strong>The</strong> alternative is that the negation <strong>of</strong> all existent th<strong>in</strong>gs elim<strong>in</strong>ates<br />

the datum or material element <strong>of</strong> possibility <strong>and</strong> with it thought<br />

itself.<br />

30

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!