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K ant's O pus P ostumum and M c D owell's C ritique of K ant
Author(s) -
Shuster Martin
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the southern journal of philosophy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.281
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 2041-6962
pISSN - 0038-4283
DOI - 10.1111/sjp.12085
Subject(s) - argument (complex analysis) , idealism , ant , order (exchange) , criticism , sketch , philosophy , charge (physics) , reading (process) , focus (optics) , epistemology , physics , mathematics , computer science , chemistry , literature , quantum mechanics , algorithm , art , linguistics , economics , computer network , biochemistry , finance , optics
Abstract In this article, I have a modest goal: (1) to sketch how K ant can avoid the charge of “subjective idealism” advanced against him by J ohn M c D owell and (2) to do so with reference to K ant's last work, the so‐called O pus P ostumum . I am interested in defending K ant on this point because doing so not only (a) shows how we need not—at least not because of this point about idealism—jump ship from K ant to H egel (as M c D owell and others think), but also (b) suggests that the O pus P ostumum is a text that ought to be explored more by K antians and those interested in K ant. A subsidiary, implicit point is that (c) we need not shy away from M c D owell's reading of K ant in order to oppose M c D owell's criticism of K ant. In order to defend against M c D owell's charge, I focus on the argument of the R efutation of I dealism, showing how this argument evolves in K ant's later works, especially the O pus P ostumum .