On Kant's Principle Of Purposefulness Based On Judgment

Kant’s critical philosophy divides the domain of natural concept and the domain of free concept,both of which are realized in the same base of experience world.Natural concept territory is legislated by understanding,and free concept territory is legislated by reason.The two legislations do not contradict with each other and do not interfere with each other.However,from a theoretical point of view,understanding and reason legislation can’t form a whole in the effect of the empirical world.Therefore,Kant put forward the principle of purposiveness of judgment,which combines understanding and reason legislation,and makes them united in the empirical world.Some scholars believe that there are contradictions and conflicts between Kant’s theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy.This paper intends to criticize this view of separating theoretical philosophy from practical philosophy and clarify the role of the principle of purposiveness of judgment in linking the territory of natural concepts with that of free concepts.At the same time,it points out how we should reflect on nature,or according to what principles to do it,so that we can understand nature as if it is purposeful in reflection,and this purpose is the kingdom of human freedom or moral kingdom.This paper is divided into three chapters to reconstruct Kant’s teleological theory.The first chapter mainly studies the judgment in Kant’s critical philosophy and introduces the definition and function of judgment.In Criticism of Judgment,Kant focuses on the reflective application of judgment and seeks universal principles for the infinite empirical rules in nature.Kant believes that there are three kinds of purposiveness,namely,the purposiveness of architecture,the subjective purposiveness and the objective purposiveness.Kant,through the principle of purposiveness of judgment,takes natural thinking as its purpose,so that human behavior determined by moral law can be realized in the nature stipulated by mechanics.The second chapter mainly examines the judgment in aesthetics.There are two kinds of aesthetic objects,one is beauty,the other is sublime.In beauty,judgment finds its subjective principle of purposiveness through the coordination between imagination and understanding;in sublime,judgment finds its objective principle of purposiveness through the harmony between imagination and reason.Kant examined the role of judgment through aesthetic activities.The third chapter mainly discusses the judgment in the teleology of nature.Through the principle of purposiveness of judgment,Kant argues that organisms are the intrinsic purpose of nature.Meanwhile,organism has extrinsic purpose at the same time,so the whole nature can form a hierarchical system of purposes.The ultimate purpose of nature is man.But man must subject to a condition: he must pursue the highest good,i.e.,man’s virtue.Only in man as moral subject,do we find unconditioned legislation regarding purposes.Moral law does not exist in nature,but exist in the system of purposes constructed by human reason,and it is the only possible thing in the order of purposes.