Emmanuel Kant on the Self and Western LHP

['Amir Alzzalam]

Kant's perspective on the Self suggests that it should be perceived more as an activity rather than an entity, thus circumventing any strict categorization. Essentially, Kant posits that selves are distinguished by experiences, meaning that any entities collectively responsible for integrating sensations into a unified experience consequently form a singular self.

Kant asserts that our sensations arise from objects impacting our minds, and the synthesis of representations can only be performed by the subject itself.

Kant's assertion that we lack knowledge of ourselves as we truly are presupposes the existence of a nature inherent within ourselves, indicating more than a mere observation of our outward appearance. This implication is evident in his statement that "[this] soul I cognize only as an object of internal sense through the appearances constituting an inner state, and whose being as it is in itself, which underlies these appearances, is unknown to me."

This statement from Kant suggests that while we can perceive our own soul or self through internal senses and the appearances that form our inner experiences, we are unable to grasp its true essence or being beyond these appearances. In other words, we can only apprehend our self as it appears to us subjectively, but its underlying nature remains unknowable or inaccessible to our understanding.
Kant acknowledges a comprehensive use of the term 'I' that encompasses the entirety of a person, including both body and soul. According to Kant, possessing a self involves more than just having representations; it necessitates possessing certain faculties. His central assertion, that we lack cognition of our selves as they truly are, implies that we have no awareness of any truths regarding our selves beyond how we manifest externally. However, some scholars have raised doubts about this assumption, advocating for more nuanced interpretations of Kant's assertions concerning cognition.

Kant's philosophy, with its emphasis on individual autonomy, rationality, and the pursuit of knowledge, could be seen as compatible with certain aspects of the Western Left Hand Path (WLHP), particularly those that prioritize individual empowerment and self-determination. The WLHP encompasses diverse philosophical and spiritual traditions within Western occultism that emphasize the primacy of the individual will and the pursuit of personal enlightenment or self-deification.

Kant's notion of autonomy, wherein individuals are encouraged to think for themselves and act according to their own rational principles, resonates with the WLHP's emphasis on personal sovereignty and self-mastery. Similarly, Kant's emphasis on moral autonomy, wherein individuals are encouraged to act according to universalizable moral principles derived from reason, may align with the ethical frameworks espoused by some adherents of the WLHP.

Overall, while Kant's philosophy may offer some points of resonance with certain aspects of the Western Left Hand Path, the relationship between the two would ultimately depend on the specific interpretations and priorities of individual practitioners within the WLHP.
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Etu Malku

 

[RJM]

Thanks

I tried reading Kant when I was younger but couldn't get into it at the time. Perhaps I should try again. Something to read on the bus from the way to work, lol

 

[OupaPiet]

All Kant did was to prove that you will never know if God exists.

This paved the way for Agnosticism.

I loved the way he reasoned.

However, what you also missed out on is the fact that Kant was actually telling the "Naturalists" or atheists of the 18th century, that they cant deduct that God does not exist, just as the believer cant prove God's existence.

Just as a blind person sitting next to a deaf person will not know the colors of a rainbow, the clouds, butterflies and so on, the deaf person will not hear the wind through the leaves, the bird-songs, the cricket etc.

However, you are reading the later life of Kant.

Go back to 1755 where he wrote his essay on the natural history of the origins of the heavens based on Newtons' principals, and you will be stunned that what the guy wrote 165 years before Halley discovered in 1925 that Kant was correct about his postulation of the Nebular theory.

Since 1930 atheists attempted to use Swedenborg and La Place's concoctions to diminish Kants' description of the origins of the Universe, in an attempt to steer Astronomy away from the Biblical description which Kant took from Genesis.

I love it when Atheists learn the "science" they claim as evidence that God does not exist, originated from the Bible.

Poor atheists!

 

['Amir Alzzalam]

"The philosopher Immanuel Kant approached this power of the soul from a somewhat different angle. He referred to it as humanity’s ability to assign meaning to natural phenomena - to recognize, appreciate, define, categorize, rank, and otherwise determine the importance, relevance, and significance of an event or object in nature. “Objects of experience,” he said, “are never given in themselves, but only in experience, and have no existence outside it.”
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Dr. Michael A. Aquino
Temple 0f Set