Philosophy of Critical Philosophy - A Review of Kant: A Review of Kant

Author: Li Zehou
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-10-01
Features: Critique of Critical Philosophy was written during the "Cultural Revolution" and first published in spring 1979. A reader remarked that it was through this book they first understood what philosophy is. Two renowned American-Chinese scholars agreed without consultation that it is the best Chinese work on Kantian philosophy. The book breaks away from conventional argumentative modes, discusses the pivotal significance of Kant's transcendental theory in the history of philosophy, and explores the main philosophical problems in the three major fields of epistemology (truth), ethics (goodness), and aesthetics and teleology (beauty). The author creatively applies the perspective of practice to analyze each issue in detail, thereby articulating their own philosophical views. It emphasizes that the use and creation of tools are the foundation of human society, responding to Kant's famous question, "How is humanity possible?" This edition includes revisions by the author. This book is one of the author's most influential works.
Chapter 1: Sources and Development of Kantian Thought
1. "Kantian philosophy is the German theory of the French Revolution." If the style of Critique of Pure Reason resembles Kant's monotonous life, its content reflects the entire era.
2. Kant's political stance: advocating for a republic, demanding "freedom of the pen," and opposing violent revolution.
3. The relationship between Kant and pre-Kantian philosophy. Newton (science) and Rousseau (democracy) were the two most influential figures on Kant.
4. Kant in the 1750s. His works on natural science exhibit the characteristics of a philosopher; he emphasized methodology, holistic perspectives, and theoretical generalizations. Works such as General Natural History and Theory of the Heavens.
5. Kant in the 1760s. Troubled by issues related to science, religion, and metaphysics, leaning toward empiricism. Works such as On the Sensible and Intelligible World.
6. The "Antinomies" awakened Kant from the "dream of dogmatism." From his appointment to the three Critiques.
7. The dual nature of German bourgeois cultural giants. Kant and Goethe.
Chapter 2: Epistemology: (I) The Problem Posed
Chapter 3: Epistemology: (II) Space and Time
Chapter 4: Epistemology: (III) Categories
Chapter 5: Epistemology: (IV) "Self-Consciousness"
Chapter 6: Epistemology: (V) "Antinomies"
Chapter 7: Epistemology: (VI) "Things-in-Themselves"
Chapter 8: Ethics (Part 1): The Moral Law
Chapter 9: Ethics (Part 2): Views on Religion, Politics, and History
Chapter 10: Aesthetics and Teleology