Description

In the Critique of Judgement Kant develops an investigation of the scope and limits of the reflective power of judgement in its pure use. This faculty is expressed in aesthetic judgements and teleological judgments. In dealing with them, Kant develops some aspects that are linked to practical issues, such as the problem of the social function of art, the notion of common sense, the view of man as the final end of Creation and the problem of subjective commitment to the truth of judgements. The aim of this project is to examine these aspects. To this end, collaborative work will consist of four kinds of activities: participation of the project members in seminars already running at the respective universities (weekly seminar of HPhil – Universidade de Lisboa and Obersemminar – Universität Halle), organisation of a monthly hybrid bi-national seminar, organisation of a conference and short research stays.

Objectives

The starting point of this research project is the thesis, previously explored by philosophers such as Hannah Arendt, according to which the investigation of the reflective judgement develops political aspects of Kantian philosophy, which are scarcely developed in the work of this philosopher, but which are nevertheless central to thinking about current topics from his philosophical system. What are the presuppositions of the notion of common sense? Is this notion meaningful in general? Is a global vision of man, not completely determined by empirical determinations, conceivable? Within the framework of this problem, how should the social function of art be thought of? Is it still possible to determine a specific sphere of the artistic that has a specific social function? What are the logical presuppositions of the consideration of man as the centre of the world? Is it possible to think of a world order that does not have its centre in our species, in Kant’s philosophical position? Is there a difference between the notion of truth and the act of considering and affirming something as true? Is there still any meaningful notion of truth left? Is it possible to differentiate clearly between opinions and knowledge? Is it possible to review our beliefs and analyse whether they are satisfactorily founded?

Considering these questions, the aims of this research project are as follows:

• To examine, under the light of Kantian philosophy, the relationship between aesthetics and politics, especially in regard to the role of sensus communis, feeling, imagination and the emergence of consensus/dissensus.
• To interpret aesthetic and political phenomena, like the development of new artistic and political movements, from the perspective of the embeddedness of individuals in their communities of values, beliefs and feelings, where intense emotions and radical cognitions are deeply entangled, forming the core of their identities.
• To explore the Kantian notion of art, and particularly the notion of aesthetic ideas, and to consider the moral and pedagogical function of art.
• To analyse the meaning and scope within the framework of Kantian philosophy, as well as the impact in terms of social and environmental policies of the consideration of the human being as the ultimate end of Creation.
• To analyse the thesis of the empirical reality of freedom and the interpretation of this thesis in various positions of German Idealism.
• To examine the notion of holding as true, the difference between conviction and mere persuasion, and the different epistemic attitudes (to have an opinion, to believe, to know).
• To examine the question of holding true, relativist positions and debates about fake news in the light of the Kantian position on holding true.

Research Team

University of Lisbon: Luciana Martínez. Paulo Jesus; João Amorety; Pedro Carvalho.
Universität Halle: Heiner Klemme. John Walsh; Daniel Stader; Jing Gao.

Publications

Events