Thursday, October 4, 2012

Proprioception and Dynamics

For Kant, an object of 'outer' perception occupies "another region of space from that in which I find myself" (1st Critique, B 38).  So, since the objects of 'inner' perception occupy moments in time, his theory of Perception does not accommodate the object that occupies the region of space in which one finds oneself--one's lived body--the awareness of which can be termed 'Proprioception'.  Hence, he cannot consider that the object of Proprioception constitutes a Volume, and not a mere Capacity, as do the objects of outer perception.  Furthermore, the body's Motility, e. g. pushing one's foot against the ground as the initiation of taking of step, provides immediate evidence in proprioception of a repulsive force inhering in this Volume, just as inhalation provides immediate evidence of an inhering attractive force.  In contrast, the presence of these Dynamic forces in outer objects is only inferred., e. g. a repulsive force is inferred from resistance to pressure, an attractive force from the spatial delimitations of some matter. On the other hand, proprioception  grounds such outer perception.  So, Proprioception is an awareness of "observed movements . . . in the spectator" (B xxii, note a), and the ground of Dynamics, as well as of the rest of the system of Physics that is derived from Dynamics.

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