Paper Summary:

By claiming that space is empirically real and transcendentally ideal, Kant rejects both the Newtonian and Leibnizian metaphysical views, though, to be sure, he also finds a median between them. In the preface to the "Critique of Pure Reason," Kant asks, "How are synthetic judgments a priori possible?" To show that they are, he cites pure mathematics and pure natural science as 'progressive' exemplars. Kant plans to show that these judgments are possible, in part, because of the pure forms of intuition, namely, space and time. In this paper, the writer gives a detailed examination and critique of his main arguments to this effect, principally with reference to H. Allison's excellent commentary, "Kant's Transcendental Idealism."

From the Paper:

"His position was that such a form must necessarily and logically proceed the actual intuition of an object, and thus, must be given by the mind (logically) prior to any possible experience of an object as distinct from the self. This is the sense in which it is necessary and universal - that is, a priori - as it is an 'epistemic condition' of all human knowledge derived from outer sense. So far I have only asserted Kant's claims, I shall now turn to the arguments he puts forth to establish the apriority and pure intuitive nature of space."

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