Judgments

by Immanuel Kant

Definitions of terms

a priori knowledge

a priori is a latin phrase meaning simply "from before". As is wont for latin phrases the connotations have become quite complex, and in this case, there are many different meanings, depending on the context. The meaning in this context is described well in the wikipedia article on a priori in philosophy:

a priori knowledge is independent of experience, while a posteriori knowledge is dependent on experience. ... According to Kant, a priori knowledge is transcendental, or based on the form of all possible experience, while a posteriori knowledge is empirical, based on the content of experience.

I like his comparison of our "perceptions" (that which we see, touch, and experience) with our "conceptions" (our inner models of how the world works).

By the way, it was the custom at that time to print foreign phrases in italics, including abbreviations such as i.e. and even etc. They do not indicate emphasis in these cases. Italics are used for emphasis on english words in this article, and for names of books.

Metaphysics

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the nature of the world. It is the study of being or reality. It addresses questions such as: What is the nature of reality? Is there a God? What is man's place in the universe?

dogmatism / scepticism / indifferentism

Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, ideology or any kind of organization, thought to be authoritative and not to be disputed or doubted.

Scepticism is (among other things):

• an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object
• the doctrine that true knowledge or knowledge in a particular area is uncertain
• a method of obtaining knowledge through systematic doubt and continual testing
• the philosophical position that one should avoid the postulation of final truths. (the commentator below seems to favor this "pyrrhonic" one)

Indifferentism seems to be a manufactured word referring to apathy. Commentator on Kant says that indifferentism "overtrumps scepticism by maintaining that there is not rational ground for adopting any definite philosophical position."

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Perhaps I should bring an unfamiliar object (e.g. a rosehip) and compare the mere perception of the object (color, shape, details from dissection), with the conception of the object (it appears to be a fruit of some kind, therefore from my a priori knowledge of the properties of fruit, it will reproduce from the seeds, it may be edible, etc).

Another discussion point is how the world is accepted to be, at various times, as conceived by Aristotle, Newton, or Einstein. But when someone perceives a phenomemon which does not agree(1) with the prevailing mental conception of the world, it becomes an opportunity to advance and improve our a priori knowledge of the world, as we create a new model for reality. (1) such as Galileo and the pendulums or moons of Jupiter or falling bodies, Einstein and the absolute nature of the speed of light, Heisenberg and the uncertainty of quantum mechanics.

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It would be interesting to discuss ways in which scientifically rigourous methods could be applied to philosophy. He cites a couple examples of using knowledge discovered a priori in the ideal world and applying those discoveries in the real world.

One example I can think of is a system laws based on principles, such as the "common law" described in the book "Whatever Happened to Justice?" by Richard Maybury. He boils all laws down to two basic principles, and advocates building a rational system of laws based on that. His principles are: "Do all you have agreed to do" and "Do not encroach on other persons or their property." This is contrasted with the "political law" system where laws are arbitrary and have no justification other than "it sounded good at the time."