Saturday, January 12, 2013

Organism and Happiness

Though Kant himself does not use the term, 'Organism' can serve as equivalent to the purposive concept of 'organized being' that he introduces and examines in the Critique of Teleological Judgment.  As a dynamic whole of a multiplicity, Organism is sharply contrasted with the concept of 'individual' being as a passive aggregate parts.  Likewise, the concept of 'happiness' as the passive sum of all desires is inadequate to the concept of Organism.  Thus, the involvement of that concept of Happiness as a 'purpose' in his organistic system of Nature, and his recognition of it as a 'good' of an individual, are significantly inconsistent with his concept of Organism.

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