Kant's Theory of Judgments and A Priori Knowledge

Kant's Theory of Knowledge

Immanuel Kant raises the problem of knowledge in two steps: first, by asking whether knowledge is possible, and second, by determining the conditions involved and the essential elements of knowledge. For Kant, knowledge is indeed possible, and the proof lies in scientific knowledge, such as the Newtonian physics that no one disputes.

In terms of content, Kant agrees with the empiricists that the origin of all knowledge is experience. However, in addressing the conditions for knowledge to take place, he argues that even if all knowledge begins with experience, it does not all arise out of experience.

Two Modes of Knowledge

Kant identifies two opposite modes of knowledge:

• A posteriori (empirical) knowledge: Derived from experience, making it individual, particular, and contingent.
• A priori knowledge: Independent of experience, pure, universal, and necessary.

Judgments and the Criterion of Knowledge

All knowledge is expressed in judgments, which are statements of affirmation or denial between a subject and a predicate. To determine if the content of an expression is valid, we can either analyze it logically or confirm it through experience. Kant classifies these into distinct types:

Analytic judgments are those whose validity is found within themselves; the predicate is contained in the subject, meaning they are explanatory and subject to the principle of contradiction. Synthetic judgments extend our knowledge because the predicate provides new information not already contained in the subject. Kant's a priori synthetic judgments are revolutionary because they possess two key features: they increase our knowledge and are universal.

Scientific Knowledge and Transcendental Philosophy

Science produces knowledge specifically through a priori synthetic judgments. Since these judgments already exist, we can determine if a discipline is a science by verifying if it contains a priori synthetic judgments; this is the ultimate criterion of knowledge.

This occurs in both mathematics and physics. Kant provides examples showing that arithmetic operations are a priori synthetic judgments: we do not need experience to affirm their universal truth, yet they actively expand our information. What makes a priori knowledge possible are the principles of reason—transcendent principles that form the foundation of transcendental philosophy.