𝔎𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔨 𝔡𝔢𝔯 𝔘𝔯𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔦𝔩𝔰𝔨𝔯𝔞𝔣𝔱 39 - Theology after Kant?

READ FOR NEXT TIME

Paragraphs 5:416 - 5:434
Pages 285 - 301 in the Guyer/Wood translation

§79 - Doctrine of Nature?
§80 - Hierarchy of causation
§81 - Association of mechanism with teleology
§82 - Teleogy and the relation of external organisms
§83 - Nature's ultimate end

12/28/25 - Session 39: more of the Appendix
01/11/26 - Session 40: Physicotheology
01/25/26 - Session 41: Ethicotheolgy

THE PUZZLE OF THE DAY

It has been observed by some that Kant isn't viewed as favorably today in universities as as he once was. Is that true? And if so, why?

THIS IS WHAT WE JUST COVERED

§79 - Reconciling mechanism and teleology

Kant argues that reason must never ignore the mechanical explanation of natural phenomena nor the teleological one because each provides a necessary perspective. We cannot derive one from the other since each excludes the other as a constitutive explanation. The unity of the two principles cannot be found within nature itself and must be referred to a supersensible ground that we cannot determine. Both principles function as maxims for how our understanding investigates nature, not as descriptions of how nature is in itself. When we encounter organisms or organized forms, we must judge them as if they were produced for ends because mechanical causation alone cannot make their possibility comprehensible to us, yet we are still obligated to investigate everything in nature as far as possible by mechanical causes while subordinating this to the teleological maxim when organic form requires it.

RESOURCES

Kant's concept of beauty as a disinterested pleasure.

https://open.substack.com/pub/geraldpriddle/p/essay-4-hermeneutical-interpretation?r=2rot22&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true