Ebook: Kant's Late Philosophy of Nature: The Opus postumum

Kant's final drafts, known as his Opus postumum, revolve around the attempt to make a 'transition from the metaphysical foundations of natural science to physics.' Interpreters broadly agree that in this project Kant seeks to connect the general a priori principles of natural science, as set out in the major critical works, to the specific results of empirical physics. Beyond this, however, basic interpretative issues remain controversial. This Element outlines a framework that aims to combine the systematic ambition of early twentieth-century readings with the rigour of more recent studies. The author argues that the issue of the 'gap' that has animated much recent scholarship can be profitably set aside. In its place, they advocate renewed attention to what they claim is a crucial part of the manuscript, fascicles X/XI, and to the problematic 'arrival point' of the transition, namely Kant's question: what is physics?