The influence of Kant’s critical philosophy on Logical Positivism
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Date
2016-01
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Publisher
University of Zululand
Abstract
This paper attempts to show the influence of Kant’s critical philosophy on Logical Positivism. In order to achieve this
objective, we set out in the first half to examine Kant’s analysis of the nature, limits and conditions of our knowing
process. Having established Kant’s position, the burden of the second half is precisely to explore and explicate the
relationship between his system and the Logical Positivists. Most studies on the Positivists do not deal with the possibility
of an influence exercised by Kant’s transcendental strategy. The more general reason has to do with the mistaken belief
that a philosophical theory can be separated from the intellectual culture in which it is articulated. It has become
fashionable to evaluate a philosophical position without taking into account either the roots of the idea in the history of
philosophy or the way in which the position emerges within a system of thought. This is one reason why the most
intriguing part of the twentieth century philosophy has not been understood – not enough attention has been paid to the
indebtedness of the Positivists to the Kantian tradition. This work tries to correct the inadequacy of these studies by
demonstrating that Kant indeed leaves a lasting influence on the Logical Positivists’ philosophy
Description
Peer reviewed article published under Inkanyiso journal, Volume 8 Number 2, Jan 2016, p. 97 –107
Keywords
Immanuel Kant, critical philosophy, influence, Logical Positivism
Citation
Minimah, F.I., 2016. The influence of Kant’s critical philosophy on Logical Positivism. Inkanyiso: Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 8(2), pp.97-107.