Concept in Definition ABC

The concept of criticism is part of the terminology of the philosophy. Specifically, the term criticism refers to Kant's philosophical approach in relation to the theory of knowledge. This 18th century Prussian philosopher proposed an analysis critical of the mental processes that take part in the knowledge and from there comes the denomination of criticism. In this sense, it must be remembered that Kant's work that addresses this issue is called "Critique of Pure Reason."

In philosophy, the concept of criticism also refers to structures or forms a priori knowledge involved in the intellectual process (for example, the idea of ​​space and weather).

Another sense of criticism as an idea is that which maintains that reality cannot be known fully and, therefore, this implies a critical position on our ability to interpret the reality.

The fundamental idea of ​​Kantian criticism

According to Kant's analysis, human knowledge is a synthesis between the empirical dimension of understanding and the rational dimension, the empirical being everything that is known through the

experience and the rational is everything that is independent of sensible experience. Let's take an illustrative example. We are seeing a landscape and this vision depends initially on our visual acuity and the size of what we perceive (up to here the empirical part would intervene). However, in order for us to capture the landscape, two general conditions must be met, the intervention of space and time as concepts that participate in the process of assimilation of images (this is when the non-empirical rational part acts).

For Kant, space and time are mental structures of knowledge (he defined them as a priori forms of knowledge). sensitivity), which means that in the process of knowing reality, not all the information comes from the senses.

Conclusion on Kantian criticism

Kant's theory of knowledge supposed the fusion of two philosophical currents hitherto antagonistic: the rationalism and empiricism. Kantian criticism had the brilliant vision of merging both currents and thus being able to explain human knowledge. To reach this type of conclusion, he had to carry out a critical analysis of reason and overcome the limitations of rationalist dogmatism and skepticism typical of empiricism.

To better understand the thought Kant must be contextualized in his time, the period of the Illustration, a stage in which intellectuals tried to construct rational principles free from dogmas. This new course of thought had consequences in the sphere of philosophy and in a very special way in the scientific field.

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