Basics of Kant part 2

 Basics of Kant part 2

    Kantian metaphysics is based on the distinction between analytic and synthetic judgments, as well as between a priori and a posteriori knowledge. According to Kant, analytical judgments are those in which the predicate is contained in the subject, and their truth is known by definition. Synthetic judgments, on the other hand, add something to the subject that is not contained in it, and their truth is not immediately evident from the concept alone. A priori knowledge is independent of experience and is known through reason alone, while a posteriori knowledge is derived from experience. Moral judgments, according to Kant, are a priori. Morality is concerned with practical questions - not with the ways things are, but with the way things ought to be. Since experience tells us only about the way things are, it cannot by itself provide an answer to our practical questions. Moral judgments are also synthetic rather than analytic, for if they were, one could settle controversial moral questions simply by analyzing concepts. 

    Synthetic a priori judgments are those that add something new to our understanding and are known independent of experience and are fundamental to Kant's metaphysics. These categories are the fundamental structures of our mind that allow us to organize our experiences and make sense of reality as without them, we would not be able to have knowledge of the world at all. 

    Analytical posteriori propositions are true by definition and also rely on empirical observation or experience. However, if a judgment is analytically true, we know this a priori, for we do need experience to tell us what is contained in our concepts. For this reason, there are no analytical posteriori judgments.

    Synthetic posteriori propositions, in contrast, are true based on experience and add something new to our understanding. For example, "The apple is red" is a synthetic posteriori proposition because the property of being red is not contained within the concept of an apple, and it can only be known through empirical observation or experience of the apple. 

    Analytical a priori propositions are true by definition and do not rely on empirical observation or experience. For example, "All bachelors are unmarried" is also an analytical a priori proposition because it can be known through the analysis of concepts alone, without the need for empirical observation or experience.  

    Finally, synthetic a priori propositions are true based on reason and are not dependent on empirical observation or experience. For example, "Every event has a cause" is a synthetic a priori proposition because it is not a definition or tautology, and it cannot be known through empirical observation alone. However, it can be known through reason and reflection on the nature of causality. 

    We can see that Kant's distinction between the noumenal and phenomenological worlds is relevant because analytic judgments deal with concepts that are already contained within our understanding, while synthetic judgments add to our understanding of the world beyond what we can directly perceive. This suggests that synthetic judgments may be more concerned with the phenomenological world, while analytic judgments are more concerned with the noumenal world. Kant's distinction between the noumenal and phenomenological worlds is relevant because a priori knowledge is independent of experience and may be more concerned with the noumenal world, while a posteriori knowledge is derived from experience and may be more concerned with the phenomenological world.