Thursday, March 24, 2005
"All Knowledge begins with experience, but not all arises from experience."
A Priori knowledge consists of two primary attributes:
Necessity - to disallow things from emprical data
Universality - to disallow any exception
Analytic Vs Synthetic
Analytic: - CANNOT BE JUSTIFIED BY EXPERIENCE
truth independant of experience. The truth is bound to the subject. This category of truth also follows the law of contradiction - ie. 'a triangle is not three sided' - the opposite of an analytic truth does not hold. This type of truth does not usually extend our knowledge but merely clarifies it. Largely concerned with symantics and symantics of language.
Our notion of general concept (body) is not completely dependant upon the singular experience of things (bodies).
*Analytic truth cannot be obtained from singular experience but rather derived from the general concept that is reasoned from empirical data/experience.
*Analytic does not extend our knowledge but merely unpacks it.
Synthetic: - CAN BE JUSTIFIED BY EXPERIENCE
*Synthetic does extend our knowledge.
Showing the predicate relationship between things/concepts/objects.
This relationship is made obvious from our (own) perspective!
Synthetic A PRIORI?!?
SYNTHETIC A PRIORI:
Looking @ the imortality of the soul: claim cannot be justified by A PRIORI Analytic nor A POSTERIORI Synthetic.
HUME 'gives up' on metaphysics that cannot be justified by experience. Whereas KANT wishes to SALVAGE metaphysics via mathematical thinking - that is SYNTHETIC A PRIORI [arguably mathematicl proofs use synthetic knowedge that is extended prior to experience!]
Synthetic A Priori knowledge is not completely inner logic nor from experience.
EG. mathematical equations: 7 + 5 = 12 ___from the representational symbols 7 5 + = there is no logical connection to 12.
Thus the equation, when observed out of its representation the synthetic knowledge becomes apparent.
(7 x 1) + (5 x 1) = (12 x 1) or (1+1+1+1+1+1+1) + (1+1+1+1+1) = (1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1)
however when the equation is reversed it is obvious that the conclusion is not necessarily the same - (except in the case of multiplication of prime numbers..this requires another logic) - 12 has many representations, observe:
12 = 7 + 5 = 6 + 6= 11 + 1 (etc)
KANT believes that this EG workd better with larger numbers, because our mind within experience automatically breaks down these large numbers into there smaller representation for ease of use.
Similarly:
The conclusion that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
One does not have to experience this (one may not be able to experience this) to know that it is true.
Sensibility:
SPACE and TIME as A PRIORI Intuitions.
intuition (immediate relation [singular]): not mediated by a discursive domain
concept: categorisation - transcends objects=> singular concept? (GOD?!?)
Intellectual Intuition => act of creating - no need for understanding [Victor and Shelling] - that the act of cognizing intuition would be an act of creation - divine intervention?!?
intuition: singular representation NOT knowledge
concept: gained from intuition, via cognitive knowledge gained
SPACE & TIME_
NEWTON - real objects;
points of space and time that exist outside our subjectivity
LEIBNIZ - no real existence:
logical conveniences that allow us to concieve relations between objects
KANT - A Priori Intuitions;
'Real Status', which cannot be derived from experience but only intuited
PURE INTUITION: -
Base [concept (sic)] character of appearance/notion that exists within our ability to grasp [intuitively].
No sensory (empirical data) perception of the infinite - no logical representation. [KANT"S DAY]
The structural relation between concepts and intuitions forms the basis of how we experience anything.
The kinds of conclusions and knowledge we get from maths, namley 'synthetic A Priori', are built on intuitions.
Inner Sense - TIME
condition for our mental states to be available to us.
Outer Sense - SPACE
condition for our awareness of objects. A place for singular objects to exist.
+>SPACE AS A PRIORI
1. representation of space is conditioned by our awareness of objects.
->our experience is only possible via our concept of space.
2. space must be considered the condition for the representation of the relationships of objects.
->relationships cannot exist without space firstly
3. space functions in a whole unitary feature/character
4. space is represented as an infinite given magnitude
Necessity - to disallow things from emprical data
Universality - to disallow any exception
Analytic Vs Synthetic
Analytic: - CANNOT BE JUSTIFIED BY EXPERIENCE
truth independant of experience. The truth is bound to the subject. This category of truth also follows the law of contradiction - ie. 'a triangle is not three sided' - the opposite of an analytic truth does not hold. This type of truth does not usually extend our knowledge but merely clarifies it. Largely concerned with symantics and symantics of language.
Our notion of general concept (body) is not completely dependant upon the singular experience of things (bodies).
*Analytic truth cannot be obtained from singular experience but rather derived from the general concept that is reasoned from empirical data/experience.
*Analytic does not extend our knowledge but merely unpacks it.
Synthetic: - CAN BE JUSTIFIED BY EXPERIENCE
*Synthetic does extend our knowledge.
Showing the predicate relationship between things/concepts/objects.
This relationship is made obvious from our (own) perspective!
Synthetic A PRIORI?!?
SYNTHETIC A PRIORI:
Looking @ the imortality of the soul: claim cannot be justified by A PRIORI Analytic nor A POSTERIORI Synthetic.
HUME 'gives up' on metaphysics that cannot be justified by experience. Whereas KANT wishes to SALVAGE metaphysics via mathematical thinking - that is SYNTHETIC A PRIORI [arguably mathematicl proofs use synthetic knowedge that is extended prior to experience!]
Synthetic A Priori knowledge is not completely inner logic nor from experience.
EG. mathematical equations: 7 + 5 = 12 ___from the representational symbols 7 5 + = there is no logical connection to 12.
Thus the equation, when observed out of its representation the synthetic knowledge becomes apparent.
(7 x 1) + (5 x 1) = (12 x 1) or (1+1+1+1+1+1+1) + (1+1+1+1+1) = (1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1)
however when the equation is reversed it is obvious that the conclusion is not necessarily the same - (except in the case of multiplication of prime numbers..this requires another logic) - 12 has many representations, observe:
12 = 7 + 5 = 6 + 6= 11 + 1 (etc)
KANT believes that this EG workd better with larger numbers, because our mind within experience automatically breaks down these large numbers into there smaller representation for ease of use.
Similarly:
The conclusion that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
One does not have to experience this (one may not be able to experience this) to know that it is true.
Sensibility:
SPACE and TIME as A PRIORI Intuitions.
intuition (immediate relation [singular]): not mediated by a discursive domain
concept: categorisation - transcends objects=> singular concept? (GOD?!?)
Intellectual Intuition => act of creating - no need for understanding [Victor and Shelling] - that the act of cognizing intuition would be an act of creation - divine intervention?!?
intuition: singular representation NOT knowledge
concept: gained from intuition, via cognitive knowledge gained
SPACE & TIME_
NEWTON - real objects;
points of space and time that exist outside our subjectivity
LEIBNIZ - no real existence:
logical conveniences that allow us to concieve relations between objects
KANT - A Priori Intuitions;
'Real Status', which cannot be derived from experience but only intuited
PURE INTUITION: -
Base [concept (sic)] character of appearance/notion that exists within our ability to grasp [intuitively].
No sensory (empirical data) perception of the infinite - no logical representation. [KANT"S DAY]
The structural relation between concepts and intuitions forms the basis of how we experience anything.
The kinds of conclusions and knowledge we get from maths, namley 'synthetic A Priori', are built on intuitions.
Inner Sense - TIME
condition for our mental states to be available to us.
Outer Sense - SPACE
condition for our awareness of objects. A place for singular objects to exist.
+>SPACE AS A PRIORI
1. representation of space is conditioned by our awareness of objects.
->our experience is only possible via our concept of space.
2. space must be considered the condition for the representation of the relationships of objects.
->relationships cannot exist without space firstly
3. space functions in a whole unitary feature/character
4. space is represented as an infinite given magnitude
Labels: notes, philosophy
¶ 8:25 pm