Title: Kant’s Two Notions of Existence
Lecturer: Andreas Schmidt(Professor for Philosophy of Main Focus German Idealism at the University of Jena)
Chairperson: SUN Liang (Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, East China Normal University)
Date: 9:30am, September 21st, 2017 (Thursday)
Venue: Room 5303, Building of School of Humanities, Minhang Campus, ECNU
Sponsor: Si-mian Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities, ECNU
Abstract of the Lecture:
I will explain the thesis that for Kant existence is no quality of things, but rather a quality of concepts and that Kant anticipates Frege. In the second part I will show that Kant still goes out Frege, while he states that there is an internal linking between existence and perception, and I will argue that Kant thereby runs the risk to get in infinite criterion recourse. In the third part I will have a look at Kant’s discussion of the cartesianischen cogito arguments in which Kant introduces the second concept of existence, and I will argue that this second existence concept is more basic than the first and inevitably to prevent the mentioned criterion recourse.
Brief Introduction of the Lecturer:
Andreas Schmidt, 12. 07. 1966.Study of the philosophy, newer German literature and art history in Munich and Paris, promotion at the University of Tubingen 1998, there habilitation in 2007, since 2013 professor for philosophy of main focus German Idealism at the University of Jena. Since 2017 institute director.
Research areas: German Idealism, rationalism of 17. Century, transcendental Philosophy.
Publications:
1. The Foundations of Knowledge. To Fichtes the Science of Knowledge in the visions of 1794/95, 1804/Ⅱand 1812 (Der Grund des Wissens. Zu Fichtes Wissenschaftlehren in den Visionen von 1794/95, 1804/Ⅱund 1812) Paderborn: Schönigh, 2004.
2. Divine thoughts. On the metaphysics of the knowledge of Descartes, Malebranche, Spinoza and Leibniz. (Göttliche Gedanken. Zur Metaphysik der Erkenntnis bei Descartes, Malebranche, Spinoza und Leibniz.) Frankfurt a.M.2009.
