h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Congratulations on producing such a well-organised, informed and articulate analysis of Kant's starting point. The only problem I have with the article is the two different uses of "world" in paragraphs 6-10 (which is what causes people to think that Kant was saying that material reality doesn't exist unless there is a mind there to create it). "World", as in "the world of science", "the Ancient Greek world", "the world of the movies" etc., refers to elements of reality linked together meaningfully by a human mind rather than this planet that still survives despite our best efforts.

Is there going to be a follow-up article on Kant's ethics? This is the point at which it becomes really interesting as Kant tries to build a formal system on the basis of the totally free individual, following the Enlightenment model of an atomistic science.

By the way, Richard Rorty has some interesting things to say about Nagel's "What is it like to be a bat" and this "immaterial essential/contingent physical" debate in his book "Philosophy And The Mirror Of Nature"

Chris

Thanks.

I have considered a follow up on Kant's ethical system and its problems, and may even get round to it at some point in the future, but I've got another project at the research phase at the moment, and my time is somewhat limited at the moment.

Noggin