The logic of speculative philosophy and skepticism in Maimon's philosophy

Satz der Bestimmbarkeit and the role of synthesis

Oded Schechter

pp. 18-53

in: Gideon Freudenthal (ed), Salomon Maimon: rational dogmatist, empirical skeptic, Berlin, Springer, 2003

Abstract

Maimon stressed the importance of the Satz der Bestimmbarkeit (the Law of Determinability) within his system on several occasions, remarking, for instance, that "the law of determinability is the highest principle of all real thinking"(VII, 148), or "that it is the highest principle of any synthetic thinking which determines objects' (ibid., 202).² However, despite these forceful assertions and the fact that he devotes considerable portions of some of his books to the topic, his statements remain vague, since he is primarily concerned with a technical description of this law, and refrains from discussing its role within his system. This is partly due to his style of writing, in that he avoids a clear presentation of the general structure of his ideas. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to present and explain the Law of Determinability (henceforth, lod); and, second, to discuss its far-reaching implications for the whole project of Maimon's philosophy.

Cited authors

Maimon Salomon