Curs optional in limba engleza:Immanuel Kant’s Critique of

Pure Reason – prof. Bryan Hall

Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason

Professor: Bryan Hall, Ph.D., Fulbright Scholar from Indiana University,

Southeast

Description: Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason is arguably the most important book from
the modern era of philosophy. It had a major influence on subsequent philosophical
thinking and remains relevant today. Its main topic is the nature, scope, and limits of
human cognition. Its main conclusion is that a priori knowledge, natural science,
freedom, and human experience itself are possible if and only if transcendental
idealism is true. Transcendental idealism holds that we cannot cognize objects as
they might exist in themselves but only insofar as they appear to us spatiotemporally
and in accordance with our concepts of them, where not only these concepts but
space and time themselves are contributions of the subject to her experience of
these objects. The purpose of this course is to give a close, critical reading of the
many arguments that that together go to support Kant’s theory of transcendental
idealism in the Critique. This course will be taught in English. Classes will be a
mixture of lecture, classroom discussion, and close reading of the primary text. The
course is open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Time: Second Semester, 2011, on Wednesdays from 16:00-18:00

Why Take This Class? This class will improve your: (1) knowledge of the most
important work from one of the most important philosophers in the history of
philosophy, (2) ability to read primary source materials, (3) spoken and written
English communication skills, and (4) research writing skills.

Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason

Spring 2011

Professor: Bryan Hall

E-mail: hallbw@ius.edu
Phone: 0724128441
Office Hours: Wednesdays from 14:00-16:00, or by appointment.

Course Content: Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason is arguably the most important book
from the modern era of philosophy. It had a major influence on subsequent
philosophical thinking and remains relevant today. Its main topic is the nature, scope,
and limits of human cognition. Its main conclusion is that a priori knowledge, natural
science, freedom, and human experience itself are possible if and only if
transcendental idealism is true. Transcendental idealism holds that we cannot
cognize objects as they might exist in themselves but only insofar as they appear to
us spatiotemporally and in accordance with our concepts of them, where not only
these concepts but space and time themselves are contributions of the subject to her
experience of these objects. The purpose of this course is to give a close, critical
reading of the many arguments that that together go to support Kant’s theory of
transcendental idealism in the Critique.

Grading Policy: This course is open to undergraduate and graduate students. Both
undergraduate and graduate students will write one paper in two stages. The first
stage of the paper will be due one month before the end of the semester. The second
stage will be due at the end of the semester. Students will be required to meet with
me prior to both stages to discuss their plans for the paper and its revision. The
undergraduate paper will be a 10-12 page research paper that uses a minimum of
two secondary sources. A draft of this paper will be due one month before the final
paper is due and will be worth 30% of the final grade. The revised version of this
paper will be worth 60% of the final grade and should be something one could
present at a conference or use as a writing sample for graduate school. Graduate
students will first write a 10-12 page paper worth 30% of the final grade. This paper
is meant to be narrowly focused, textually sensitive, and appropriate for a conference
presentation. After incorporating my comments on the shorter paper as well as the
relevant secondary literature, graduate students will expand this into a 20-25 page
research paper worth 60% of the final grade. This expanded paper should be of
publishable quality. Both undergraduate and graduate students will be subject to
several pop reading quizzes over the course of the semester worth 10% of the final
grade.

Required Texts: 1) Kant, Critique of Pure Reason (Cambridge, 1997), trans. P. Guyer
and A. Wood, abbreviated CPR. 2) Hall, The Arguments of Kant’s Critique of Pure
Reason (Lexington, 2010), abbreviated AKC. All required readings will be available on
reserve in the library organized by week. Complete copies of both of these books will
also be available on reserve. You should also feel free to read Kant in either the
original German or translated into Romanian. Both are available in the library though
they are not on reserve.

Plagiarism and Cheating: For this course, we will be following the Code of Student
Rights, Responsibility, and Conduct for Indiana University (my home institution).
When it comes to plagiarism, “A student must not adopt or reproduce ideas, words,
or statements of another person without appropriate acknowledgement. A student
must give credit to the originality of others and acknowledge an indebtedness
whenever he or she does any of the following: a) Quotes another person’s actual
words, either oral or written; b) Paraphrases another person’s words, either oral or
written; c) Uses another person’s idea, opinion, or theory; d) Borrows facts, statistics,
or other illustrative material, unless the information is common knowledge.” When it
comes to cheating, “A student must not use or attempt to use unauthorized
assistance, materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise, including,
but not limited to, the following: a. A student must not use external assistance on any
‘in-class’ or ‘take-home’ examination, unless the instructor specifically has authorized
external assistance. This prohibition includes, but is not limited to, the use of tutors,
books, notes, and calculators.”

Schedule:

16.02: Introduction. CPR Bvii-Bxliv, B1-B30. AKC Introduction, Appendix: Advice for
the Student Reader
23.02: Transcendental Aesthetic, Space. CPR B33-45. AKC Chapters 1-2.
02.03: Space (cont.). CPR B33-45. AKC Chapter 4.
09.03: Transcendental Analytic, Metaphysical Deduction. CPR A50-57/B74-82,
A66-83/B92-109, B109-116. AKC Chapters 5-6.
16.03: The A Transcendental Deduction. CPR A95-A130. AKC Chapter 7.
23.03: The B Transcendental Deduction. CPR B129-B163. AKC Chapter 8.
30.03: The B Transcendental Deduction (cont.). CPR B129-B163. AKC Chapter 8.
06.04: Schematism. CPR A137-147/B176-187. AKC Chapter 9.
13.04: Analogies. CPR A176-218/B218-B265. AKC Chapter 11.
20.04: Analogies (cont.). CPR A176-218/B218-B265. AKC Chapter 11.
27.04: Postulates, Refutation. A218-235/B265-B287. AKC Chapters 12-13.
04.05: Transcendental Dialectic, Third Antinomy, CPR A444-451/B472-479, A532-
558/B560-586. AKC Chapters 14, 16. First Paper Due.
11.05: Ideal. A590-630/B618-658. AKC Chapter 17.
18.05: Conclusion. AKC Chapter 18.
01.06: Revised Paper Due.