The development of Kant's precritical cosmology and some 'critical' consequences.

Abstract

The following paper was inspired by editorial work on some of early precritical writings for the new Academy Edition of Immanuel Kant which can be characterized as more or (more often) less coherent compositions of traditional rational cosmology and physical cosmology of his time, the further transformation of which gave rise to some investigations how basic concepts changed in the period from around 1746-1768. The aim of the paper is twofold: Firstly - and for the first time, as far as I can see - to give a concise account of the most important conceptual developments of Kant's precretical cosmology, especially of his precitical theory of matter. Secondly, to show how innovations in his later pre-critical writings in particular influenced the cosmology of his critical phase, mainly presented in the Critique of Pure Reason and the Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science. Although the paper in no way plays down the philosophical significance of Kant's transcendental turn, it intends to show the extent to which argumentative patterns of the precritical period have found their way into his critical philosophy and others have become obsolete as a result of this turn.