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This 2006 volume explores the relationship between Kant's aesthetic theory and his critical epistemology as articulated in the Critique of Pure Reason and the Critique of the Power of Judgment. The essays, written specially for this volume, explore core elements of Kant's epistemology, such as his notions of discursive understanding, experience, and objective judgment. They also demonstrate a rich grasp of Kant's critical epistemology that enables a deeper understanding of his aesthetics. Collectively, the essays reveal that Kant's critical project, and the dialectics of aesthetics and cognition within it, is still relevant to contemporary debates in epistemology, philosophy of mind, and the nature of experience and objectivity. The book also yields important lessons about the ineliminable, yet problematic place of imagination, sensibility and aesthetic experience in perception and cognition.
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This page intentionally left blank Aesthetics and Cognition in Kant’s Critical Philosophy This volume explores the relationship between Kant’s aesthetic theory and his critical epistemology as articulated in the Critique of Pure Reason and the Critique of the Power of Judgment. The essays, written for this volume, revise our understanding of core elements of Kant’s epistemology, such as his notions of discursive understanding, experience, and objective judgment. They also demonstrate a rich grasp of Kant’s critical epistemology that enables a deeper understanding of his aesthetics. Collectively, the essays reveal that Kant’s critical project, and the dialectics of aesthetics and cognition within it, are still relevant to contemporary debates in epistemology, philosophy of mind, and the nature of experience and objectivity. The book also yields important lessons about the ineliminable yet problematic place of imagination, sensibility, and aesthetic experience in perception and cognition. Rebecca Kukla is an associate professor of philosophy at Carleton University in Ottawa and has been a visiting professor at Georgetown University, The Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Victoria. The author of Mass Hysteria: Medicine, Culture, and Mothers’ Bodies, she has published articles on epistemology, aesthetics, eighteenth-century philosophy, philosophy of medicine, and bioethics, in Philosophical Studies, Journal of Aesthetics & Art Criticism, Inquiry, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, and Hypatia, among other journals. Aesthetics and Cognition in Kant’s Critical Philosophy Edited by REBECCA KUKLA Carleton University CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521862011 © Cambridge University Press 2006 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format 2006 eBook (NetLibrary) ISBN-13 978-0-511-22139-2 ISBN-10 0-511-22139-8 eBook (NetLibrary) hardback ISBN-13 978-0-521-86201-1 hardback ISBN-10 0-521-86201-9 Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. For Andr´e Kukla, Philosopher-King Contents Notes on Contributors page ix xiii Acknowledgments 1 Introduction: Placing the Aesthetic in Kant’s Critical Epist