Andrew Cooper
Kant and Experimental Philosophy
Cooper, Andrew
Authors
Abstract
While Kant introduces his critical philosophy in continuity with the experimental tradition begun by Francis Bacon, it is widely accepted that his Copernican revolution places experimental physics outside the bounds of science. Yet scholars have recently contested this view. They argue that in Critique of the Power of Judgment Kant’s engagement with the growing influence of vitalism in the 1780s leads to an account of nature’s formative power that returns experimental physics within scientific parameters. Several critics are sceptical of this revised reading. They argue that Kant’s third Critique serves precisely to deflate the epistemological status of experimental physics, thereby protecting science from the threat of vitalism. In this paper I examine Kant’s account of science in the context of the experimental tradition of philosophy, particularly in relation to the generation dilemma of the eighteenth century. I argue that Kant does not deflate the epistemological status of experimental physics but rather introduces systematicity to the experimental tradition. By identifying the reflective use of reason to organize laws of experience into a systematic whole, Kant aims to ground experimental inquiry on the secure course of a science, opening a conception of science as a research programme.
Citation
Cooper, A. (2017). Kant and Experimental Philosophy. British Journal for the History of Philosophy, 25(2), 265-286. https://doi.org/10.1080/09608788.2016.1268996
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Dec 2, 2016 |
Online Publication Date | Jan 26, 2017 |
Publication Date | Mar 4, 2017 |
Deposit Date | Nov 17, 2016 |
Publicly Available Date | Jul 26, 2018 |
Journal | British Journal for the History of Philosophy |
Print ISSN | 0960-8788 |
Electronic ISSN | 1469-3526 |
Publisher | Routledge |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 25 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 265-286 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1080/09608788.2016.1268996 |
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Copyright Statement
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in British Journal for the History of Philosophy on 26/01/2017, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09608788.2016.1268996.
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