Kant's Refutation of (Problematic) Idealism

Problematic Idealism (Berkeley's idealism, not that of Leibniz) is the thesis 
that we cannot
prove that objects outside us exist. This results directly from Descartes' 
proposition 
that the only thing I cannot doubt is that I exist (solipsism). 

If solipsism is true, it seems to raise the problem that we cannot prove that 
objects outside 
us exist . But Kant refutes this thesis by his observation that we cannot 
observe the 
passing of time (in itself inextended or nonphysical) unless there is some 
fixed inextended substrate 
on which to observe the change in time.  Thus there must exist a fixed (only 
necessarily over a small
duration of time) nonphysical substrate to reality.  A similar conclusion can 
be made regarding
space.  

Here is an alternate account of that argument:

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-transcendental/#RefIde
  
"Dicker provides a compelling initial representation of Kant's argument (Dicker 
2004, 2008): 

    1) I am conscious of my own existence in time; that is, I am aware, and can 
be aware, 
    that I have experiences that occur in a specific temporal order. (premise) 
    
    2) can be aware of having experiences that occur in a specific temporal 
order only if I perceive
     something permanent by reference to which I can determine their temporal 
order. (premise) 

    3) No conscious state of my own can serve as the permanent entity by 
reference to which 
    I can determine the temporal order of my experiences. (premise) 

    4) Time itself cannot serve as this permanent entity by reference to which 
I can 
    determine the temporal order of my experiences. (premise)

     (5) If (2), (3), and (4), are true, then I can be aware of having 
experiences that occur in a 
    specific temporal order only if I perceive persisting objects in space 
outside me by reference 
    to which I can determine the temporal order of my experiences. (premise) 

    (6) Therefore, I perceive persisting objects in space outside me by 
reference to which 
    I can determine the temporal order of my experiences. (1?5)"


Roger Clough, rclo...@verizon.net 
10/23/2012 
"Forever is a long time, especially near the end." -Woody Allen

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