[Xmca-l] Re: Kant's Imagination

[Ed Wall]

Annalisa

     There is much that could be said, but I will leave that for others and  briefly quote Casey quoting/paraphrasing Kant:

Kant reinforced imagination’s mediatory role by distinguishing between two kinds of imagining: a reproductive type, which is intimately connected with memory and perceptual apprehension, and a productive type which is contiguous with conceptual thinking. Thus imagination stands precisely midway between sensibility and understanding. Kant says, “The two extremes, namely sensibility and understanding, must stand in necessary connection with each other through the mediation of this transcendental function of imagination.” 

There is, I note, something further which I, personally, need to think about as Casey continues The “transcendental function” referred to in this passage is effected by means of the transcendental schema, a product of productive imagination and the explicit basis for imagination’s mediatory role.

Whatever quibbles one has with all this, most ‘modern’ Western philosophers who have taken on imagination at some point acknowledged Kant’s view of imagination (that doesn’t mean they agreed with it). In other words, Kant’s views regarding imagination were enormously influential in the West.

I should note that Aristotle had similar views.

Ed

> On Dec 8, 2015, at  3:12 PM, Annalisa Aguilar <annalisa@unm.edu> wrote:
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> Hi esteemed others,
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> I would like to follow the practice Mike asked of us to separate topics out to new fibers as they arise, and Kant came up in a few different threads. Since I'm keen to understand more about Kant through reading and considering the discourse of all the eloquent members here, I am taking the initiative to start a new thread.
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> 
> Would anyone like to explain (in easy language) why Kant is relevant to our discussion on imagination (and perhaps fantasy)?
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> I hope this post doesn't receive an audience of crickets, or even a long list of links to read tomes and tomes of philosophical treatise. I just hope to have a conversation about it.
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> Anyone?
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> 
> Kind regards,
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> 
> Annalisa