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Two Difficulties for Kant’s First Analogy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2025

Andrew F. Roche Open the ORCID record for Andrew F. Roche [Opens in a new window]
Andrew F. Roche*
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Centre College, Danville, KY, USA
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Email: andrew.roche@centre.edu
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Abstract

In the First Analogy of Experience in his Critique of Pure Reason, Kant argues, on the ground that it is needed for a united time, that everything in the world is (permanent) substance or a determination thereof. In this paper, I advance what I call a representational reading of this text, and I explain how it addresses two concerns. The first is that Kant’s argument should have no leverage to establish (permanent) substance in experience, since pure intuition already represents a ‘united’ time. The second is that even if Kant can establish the existence of (permanent) substance, he cannot prove that this substance is the substratum for everything else.

Keywords

KantFirst Analogysubstancetimepure intuition

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Kantian Review , First View , pp. 1 - 18
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Kantian Review

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