9 March 2016

Prof. Dr. Dirk Westerkamp: Salomon Maimon’s Alethic Scepticism in Context

Salomon Maimon’s Alethic Scepticism in Context

(Prof. Dr. Dirk Westerkamp)

Praised by Fichte as „one of the greatest thinkers of our time“, Salomon Maimon argued for a scepticism that challenged the Kantian foundation of transcendental logic. Maimon’s arguments not only had a major impact on Post-Kantian and German Idealist thought; they also illuminate the logotectonic of sceptical thinking in general. There are at least four contexts within which Maimon’s philosophical arguments can be situated:(i) in the context of Pyrrhonic scepticism,(ii) in the context of 18th century sceptical metaphysics (Hume),(iii) in the context of pre-idealist scepticism (1790–1794) which led to the foundation of idealist subjectivism, and(iv) in the context of Jewish Scepticism. My paper aims at sheding some light on the first three contexts – leaving the matter of Jewish Scepticism for the discussion. I will try to elucidate why Maimon’s alethic scepticism is still indepted to the “logic of truth” (Kant). I shall conclude with remarks on Maimon’s implicit (sceptical) philosophy of language.

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