Kant: Does the Knowing Mind Shape the World? Second Part.
1. “Kant gives three arguments by which he tries to prove that space is not a concept
we get by observing objects outside us, but is, instead, a single unified system that we
must have in our minds even before we observe any objects outside of us“..-
Summarize those three arguments in your own words. ‘Do you think those arguments
are right? Why?” (Velasquez, p- 388-)
2. According to Kant, every single object we perceive now or in the future has to be in
space and time. What reasons does he provide for this claim?” (Velasquez, p. 388.)
3. ‘Kant says the space you see aromd yourself is rally all in your mind, and that your
mind creates the illusion that space is outside yourself- Does this make sense to you?
Do you think it could be true? To get a sense of what Kant means, imagine a video
game in which you wear goggles that put tiny video screens in front of each of your
eyes, The screen produces a three-dimensional image so that to you it looks as if you
are standing on an alien planet with galaxies swirling over-head..- Do you think it might
be possible for your mind to do what goggles like this can do? How wodd the
experience of wearing such glasses be different from the experience of having you
mind create the illusion that space is outside you?” (Velasquez, 389).
4. Explain Kant’s transcendental principle of unity. (Velasquez, 392)
5. “According to Kant, our minds have to create a single interconnected world of
objects out of the many different sensations streaming from our senses. Explain why
Kant says ow minds have to do this. Does his argument seem right to you? Why?‘6. “Kant says that any events that we experience as events that are happening outside
of us have to be causally connected to other events outside of us. Explain the
arguments Kant gives for this claim. How do Kant’s example of a ship and of a house
help him in his argument? ” (Velasquez, 393)
7. ‘Kant claims that he answered several of the challenges Hume proposed. Kant said
he showed Hume was wrong when he said we have no justification for assuming the
future will be like the past He showed Hune was wrong when he said that causes and
effects are all in your minds, not in the world we perceive outside of ourselves-..
Explain how Kant showed that Hume was wrong on each of these points-“ (Velasquez,
395)
8. Kant concludes that we can obtain only knowledge of appearances (phenomena)
and never of the way things actually are (noumena). Does this make him a skeptic? If
not, what distinguishes his views from skepticism?” (Velasquez, 396)