Sunday, November 25, 2012

Practical Reason and Proprioception

Kant's effort to demonstrate the applicability of Reason to Action is much less conscientious than that of the applicability of the Understanding to concrete Cognition.  In particular, in comparison with the focal point of the latter, i. e. the Schematism, his variously proposed focal points of the former--a feeling of 'respect', a power of choice--seem no less ad hoc devices than a pineal gland might.  In contrast, a more substantive tertium quid has been previously proposed here--Proprioception.  That is, if Reason is conceived as a highly developed homeostatic system of guiding motility, then it is conceived as truly practical, thereby satisfying Kant's ambition for it.

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