Richard says:
I don’t like Kant since I often don’t understand what he tries to say. Sure, it may be due to me,
but if you can’t explain it to a 6-year-old it’s not really worth to be written down.
This is where real life takes place. Not in Kant’s own theoretic world.
Me:
Value is not always a matter of subjective comprehension…meaning that something intrinsically valuable is tacitly conveyed and perceived and not always to be explained – not even to a 6-year-old child.
Real life is not always “real”…Real life has, – as we know -, many palpable and subtle layers…Thus, even abstract wording has certain bearing, as it is a facet of Reality…Despite his abstruse use of language, Kant aims clearly on something unapproachable for the common apprehension, yet existing.
On the other hand, language is precarious – some of his students were once bewildered failing to properly interpret one of his texts written in his earlier years. So they asked Kant as to what he meant.
Kant methodically read that specific excerpt and simply admitted: “I DON´T REMEMBER”…:)
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Tagged with abstract is not always so abstract, common apprehension, Critique of Judgment, Ethics, Immanuel Kant, is real life real?, Languages, Philosophy, Reality, the precariousness of language, the unapproachable, transcendence
I posted this fragment before but I will post it again:
“Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-incurred immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one’s own understanding without the guidance of another. This immaturity is self-incurred if its cause is not lack of understanding, but lack of resolution and courage to use it without the guidance of another. The motto of enlightenment is therefore: Sapere aude! Have courage to use your own understanding! . . .
LAZINESS AND COWARDICE ARE THE REASONS WHY such a large proportion of men, even when nature has long emancipated them from alien guidance, nevertheless gladly REMAIN IMMATURE FOR LIFE. For the same reasons, it is all too easy for others to set themselves up as their guardians. It is so convenient to be immature! If I have a book to have understanding in place of me, a spiritual adviser to have a conscience for me, a doctor to judge my diet for me, and so on, I need not make any efforts at all. I need not think, so long as I can pay; others will soon enough take the tiresome job over for me.
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Tagged with Age of Enlightenment, cowardice, Enlightenment, Immanuel Kant, immaturity, Laziness, maturity, Philosophy, Sapere aude, society, spiritual adviser