Comments: Kant, Knowledge, and Animals

TL;DR

Immanuel Kant believes in the existence of a "Numenal World" that is separate from our "Phenomenal World," raising questions about free will, morality, and the nature of knowledge.

Transcript

in the last couple of episodes we talked about Immanuel Kant and knowledge and octopuses so let's take a look at some of your comments so Kant had his famous distinction between the Newman 'el world which is the world as it is in itself and the phenomenal world which is the world as we experience it and saurian aaaa asked what if the numeral wolf d... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥶 Kant's distinction between the Numenal World and the Phenomenal World serves as a foundation for exploring free will and morality.
• 🥶 The possibility of a different Numenal World allows Kant to reconcile the seeming determinism of the Phenomenal World with the idea of free will.
• 👾 Challenges to Kant's ideas include the difficulty of imagining the Numenal World and the limitations of our understanding of existence beyond space and time.
• 🧑‍🔬 The role of scientists is limited to studying and interpreting the Phenomenal World, as they cannot directly access the Numenal World.
• 💡 The evolutionary argument for the accuracy of our ideas about the Numenal World assumes that survival depends on an accurate understanding, which is an unfounded assumption.
• 🧑‍🏭 Knowledge involves both knowing that something is true and knowing how to apply that knowledge, but there are cases where knowing how does not necessarily require knowing that certain facts are true.

Questions & Answers

Q: What if the Numenal World and the Phenomenal World are the same?

Kant leaves open the possibility that the Numenal World might be the same as the Phenomenal World, but his belief in the possibility of differences allows him to explore the concept of free will and its connection to morality.

Q: How does Kant know that there is a Numenal World?

Kant admits that we can't know what the Numenal World is really like, but the idea of a separate realm beyond human experience allows him to develop his philosophy of free will.

Q: Shouldn't we all be idealists like Berkeley and reject the existence of a Numenal World?

Kant's distinction between the Numenal World and the Phenomenal World challenges the idealist view. While it is a valid challenge, Kant's perspective allows for possibilities beyond the limitations of the Phenomenal World.

Q: Is a scientist someone who translates the Numenal World into the Phenomenal World?

No, scientists can only study and experience the Phenomenal World. The Numenal World, according to Kant, is beyond our direct experience and understanding.

Q: How can we know that the Numenal World exists if existence presupposes space and time?

This brings up an interesting challenge to Kant's view. If the Numenal World is beyond space and time, does it even exist? This raises questions about the nature of existence and its relationship to space and time.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Immanuel Kant distinguishes between the "Numenal World" and the "Phenomenal World," suggesting that we can never truly know what the Numenal World is like.

• Kant's belief in the possibility of a different Numenal World allows him to argue for the existence of free will and its importance in morality.

• Some viewers question the existence of the Numenal World and its differences from the Phenomenal World, challenging Kant's ideas.