Maimon on the (In-)dispensability of the Kantian Thing in Itself: A Misleading Narrative
The Kantian thing in itself has been the subject of a centuries-old debate, toward which Salomon Maimon––following the standard interpretation––is thought to make the first “forward-looking” move: Maimon is interpreted as the first proponent of the redundance of a commitment to the mind-independent...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Aperio
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Modern Philosophy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://jmphil.org/article/id/1871/ |
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| Summary: | The Kantian thing in itself has been the subject of a centuries-old debate, toward which Salomon Maimon––following the standard interpretation––is thought to make the first “forward-looking” move: Maimon is interpreted as the first proponent of the redundance of a commitment to the mind-independent world, thus inaugurating a new era in the reception of Kant’s idealism. Against this influential narrative, I argue that Maimon’s views are motivated by a combination of skepticism and explanatory rationalism, which is fully compatible with realism and does not entail the dispensability of the mind-independent world. This has interesting and important implications for Maimon’s overall reading of Kant and for his place in the history of German philosophy. |
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| ISSN: | 2644-0652 |