Kant's Theory of Knowledge: An Analytical Introduction

by Georges Dicker

The Critique of Pure Reason is Kant's acknowledged masterpiece, in which he tackles the question of how we can possibly have knowledge that does not rest on experience (a priori knowledge). The first half of the Critique advances a constructive theory of human cognition and defends the possibility of human knowledge against the skeptical empiricism of Hume. These sections of the Critique are difficult for beginners and for advanced students alike. While there exist many scholarly works discussing the Critique on an advanced level, this book is explicitly designed to be read alongside the text by first-time readers of Kant. Dicker makes Kant's views and arguments as accessible as possible without oversimplifying them, and synthesizes the views of contemporary scholars. Kant's Theory of Knowledge will be useful to both undergraduate and graduate students struggling with this notoriously difficult yet deeply influential thinker.

Genres: Philosophy

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Pedro Galvão · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nem Dicker, autor de alguns dos melhores livros sobre filosofia moderna, consegue fazer grande coisa para mitigar a obscuridade extrema e sistemática de Kant. Duas estrelas pelo esforço meritório.

[Campbell Rider]

This introduction is very much written in the style of Anglo-American analytic philosophy. This means much of the first Critique's arguments are reconstructed in an argumentative form quite foreign to Kant's language and text. But while it in some respects fails to capture the spirit of Kant's own writing, the trade-off is exceptional clarity and accessibility. Another strength of this introduction is that it also helps familiarise the reader with some of the key interpreters of Kant (Strawson, Wolff, Guyer etc.). I would still recommend Sebastian Gardner's book for first-time readers of Kant, but for people revisiting the text or focussing on particular sections of it this is a really worthwhile read.

[Lulu]

History of philosophy