In defense of Kantian Metaphysics in face of the Heisenberg uncertainty Principal
My Teacher:
In the first part, I presented the claim that the Critique of Pure Reason is shaped by the language of Newtonian physics, namely that the experienced world is an independent world made of objects (the notion of object is a metaphysical assumption of Newton, and so is the notion that such a world exists independently of our experience). Accordingly, Newtonian physics describes the movement of objects mathematically in time and space.
Similarly, in the Transcendental Aesthetic, like the assumptions of Newtonian physics, Kant demonstrates that empirical intuition is a representation in time / space (presented to us by the a priori intuitions or forms of time and space). Kants commitment to Newtonian physics becomes obvious when his theory is no longer applicable in Quantum Physics. This limited applicability can be seen in the following example: Can a subatomic particle such as an electron be considered an empirical intuition? And therefore as an object of experience?
The answer to this question for Kant and Kantians will not be a straight YES or NO because the framework of the critique is unable to explain why the electron is intuited differently from other empirical intuitions, such as a tree (while the location of an electron at a certain time cannot be determined, as is the case with some experiments in quantum physics, the location of a tree can be determined (see Heisenberg uncertainty principle).
The answer to the above Kantian dilemma can only be consistent with the above-mentioned claim that Kants philosophy of science, including his theory of experience, is a custom-designed theory of experience based on the metaphysical assumptions of the Newtonian. What appears to be the case is that the physicists choice of constructing certain conditions for an experiment based on his conceptual understanding of reality influences what will be intuited empirically at the end (uncertainty principle), and therefore, the Newtonian / Kantian notion that an electron as an object of experience exists independently from the experiencing subject or observer is no longer defensible.
ME:
First, one has to understand the concepts of the two separating constructs, Kant and Quantum Physics. Kant Died in 1804 and the electron was not discovered in till 1897 by JJ Thomson; thusly, the quantum world did not exist for Kant, as it did not for anyone else during his life time. As for Newton who died in 1727 only 77 years before Kants death, his knowledge would have been known. If one follows this understanding they would realize that it would have been impossibility for one such as Kant to evaluate and analyze the given situation, when the world changes so do our perceptions and understandings of it of it with the exception of mathematics, and that may one day be untrue as well. This is not the argument of a relativist, it is truth based on the knowledge gained through perceived factual information. The world according to scientists was once flat; our knowledge of the world changed and therefore so did our perceptions of it.
If one were to follow the Socratic understanding upon such constructs as that which is perceived as knowledge, they would understand the relevance to such idealistic concepts such as the philosophy of perception. As an Epistemological Idealist Kant insisted to a certain degree that anything that can be known for certain are just ideas, in other words abstractions. The philosophy of perceptions discusses how the mental process and symbolism are dependent on the intrinsic and extrinsic understanding of the perceiver. Focusing on the external world, for that is what is in our current discussion, ones individual perception of the world begins with the senses, and in other words we speak before we sing. This in-turn leads an individual to generate empirical concepts representing the world around us, relating of course to the learning of new concepts and then stacking the already gathered observational data on top of preexisting notions. In other words the realists are semi-correct in their assumption of absolute existence; however, what Kant and other idealists are following is the idea of knowledge from a Socratic sense of knowledge, stating that the object was always there, however, our perceptions give it meaning, such as a name, learning what it does. Does anyone really believe that when man first appeared, it looked up and said thats a tree. As I stated previously as we gather more data, our preconceived notions change, our knowledge of perceptual information grows and therefore the objects of ones observations change as well. In other words The only knowledge I have is that I know nothing at all
Still I have to disagree to a certain extent with the last decree. As you know I am a moralist, and oddly my own philosophy is growing into a mixture of three very unlikely philosophies, Kant being a part of that. The object known as the electron is a perceptual or observational conundrum. The velocity and the position of such an object, according to Heisenberg cannot be known simultaneously however they can be known separately. The position of the particle, or object within our universe is regarded as being where the wave amplitude is at its greatest. The position is uncertain only to the degree to the spread of this particular aspect of the wave. So in other words you find the wave, the object is there, in other words a yes; However, the position disappears once one begins to focus on the speed, so the answer would then be no.
When one is given the fact Kant Died before quantum physics and the fact that an electron for instance is an empirical institution when looking at its position and not one when looking at its speed; moreover, that our notions of such things change as the knowledge of this particular field expands, one can reach the conclusion that Kant can neither be dismissed from this subject as being unjustifiable in this particular realm of understanding nor does it dismiss the fact our notions do shape the world around it based on preconceptions of any given factual information given unto us at any given time.
This is why I like ethics a little more than classical logic and metaphysics.
- Mood:
Eager - Listening to: The muses
- Reading: The dhamapada
- Watching: I step on your grave
- Playing: Mind games
- Eating: Generic Frosted flakes, THERE FOOD!
- Drinking: tea