On Apperception As The Highest Principle Of The Objectivity Of Knowledge In Kantian

Construction of knowledge in epistemology starts with "self" since Descartes published his philosophy, and philosophers probe their questions and build their philosophies on the basis of this concept. Kant followed this tradition, he formulated his special epistemology based on self - consciousness after the serious critique of the theories of Empiricism and Idealism.Beginning with self-consciousness, Kant considered apperception as the synthetic and identical function of the transcendental self-consciousness, and he settled his theory of knowledge on the basis of pure perception which was distinguished from empirical apperception. By means of the pure perception as the most powerful prerequisite, Kant justified the objectivity and validity of the knowledge.In Kant's opinion, there are two conditions to make sure the objectivity of knowledge: Firstly, the knowledge should accompany its objects. Secondly, the knowledge should be universal and necessary. The form of the object laid in the synthetic unity of manifold representation in its concept. The objectivity of knowledge would be impossible without object. Since the manifold character of the representation, there would be no necessary relationship between them in Human Being's sensibility. As a result, knowledge should include more to earn its objectivity. Just because of the subjectivity of the manifold representations, it needs contrast in knowledge, which just is the object, and it holds the representations together to formulate the apodictic and unity. The synthetic unity of pure perception is the fundamental condition to regulate the manifold representations. These representations in accompany with self-consciousness exist in our consciousness. Since the self-consciousness is identical, the apperception as synthetic unity of self-consciousness which regulates these manifold representations is the fundamental condition of object.About the second condition, Kant regarded the objectivity of knowledge as its universality and necessity. The fundamental condition of the universality and necessity of the knowledge lies in apperception too. In Kant's opinion, experience can't bring universality and necessity to knowledge because of its contingent quality. So, we should draw on the cognitive ability in the cognitive subject to set basis for the universality and necessity of knowledge. The cognitive ability of aesthetic -- the sensuous incentive generated by object—is only acceptable and can only form the manifold representations and the relationship between them is only contingent. So it can't apply the universal and necessary knowledge. Only the spontaneous understanding can offer the necessary rules to appearance to form the universal and necessary knowledge. At the same time, understanding is a logical ability of pure apperception which offers the fundamental basis for the application of understanding. The synthetic unity of pure apperception offers the necessary rules of understanding to form the universal and necessary knowledge.Category is a form of understanding which can ensure the universality and necessity of the knowledge. But it only can win its possibility by means of the apperception. Apperception is the fundamental condition of the universal and necessary knowledge which was realized by means of the cognitive ability of understanding. So, just the apperception makes the universality and necessity of knowledge possible.On the condition of apperception, categories are applied to experience and only this can ensure the objectivity of knowledge. The object of our experience could only be appearance, not things themselves, which is the sole possibility of the pure category induction and one of the necessary conditions for category induction. Besides, categories are the logical faculty of judgement. Just categories make it possible for judgment to be the necessary form which shows the objectivity and unity of knowledge. Then, apperception can be combined with the empirical knowledge to form the objectivity and unity of knowledge. Judgement is the form that apperception utilizes to act on experience, and categories are the logical faculty of judgement. As a result, Kant considered that only by means of the form of categories, objectivity and unity of knowledge could be possible. Without this application of categories, it can't elaborated the reasons why the appearance in our sensibility must obey the rules generated prior from understanding. That means the universality and necessity of knowledge is guarded by the application of categories to experience and the syntheses of those manifold representations. While, the synthesis and unity of apperception lay a basic condition for the application of categories, and this justify that the apperception is the fundamental condition of the universality and necessity of knowledge.